Wisdom Come Lately

 November 3, 2020

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” —Proverbs 3:5-6 

“Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.”            —Proverbs 11:14 

I wonder how much grief I could save myself if I actually paid attention to the wisdom of the Scriptures. How many times have I charged ahead with my plans, having failed to slow down and take time to consult the Lord and the many wise people he has placed in my circle of friends? And how often have I received counsel that I simply ignored? I couldn’t count them all, but believe me, they are more than enough. There are certainly times when decisions have to be made quickly and decisively, but there are plenty more when there is more than enough time to pray, to reflect, and to receive wise counsel.

I sold my digger today—the towable backhoe I thought I’d use for all sorts of projects. My friend Rell had told me I probably wouldn’t use one that much. Years ago he had one mounted to his tractor, used it a few times, then sold it after it sat for a few years. “Make sure you get a loader; you’ll use it all the time. But a backhoe—not so much.” Ignoring his sound advice coming from actual experience, I instead watched YouTube videos of guys doing all sorts of nifty stuff with them, scoured Craigs List and Facebook marketplace, and finally found what I was looking for. I drove to Massachusetts to get it, towed it all the way back home last year. Let’s see...I buried three dogs, dug a hole for a small apple tree, and dug out a small ditch for pastor Joe. 

After initially paying for it, I rebuilt the carburetor, bought a tire tube, a battery, and five gallons of hydraulic fluid, finally selling it today for a couple hundred less than I paid for it. I had planned to dig out the footer for the laundry room we want to build, but the controls are touchy, and having pulled the wrong lever too many times while doing these open country projects, I could see myself crashing the bucket through our basement wall. I’m hiring the project, and hoping to have learned my lesson. To be honest, I suspect I may have to learn the hard way a few more times; this old brain can be pretty thick at times; but the help is here in my lap if I will only open the Book and pay attention to its wisdom. And it won’t hurt to listen to wiser men than me. If I can do that, there will be much for which to give thanks in days ahead.