Proverbs 1:5-6

"A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel, To understand a proverb and an enigma, The words of the wise and their riddles." Proverbs 1:5-6

"I've learned that you can be in love with four girls at the same time." Age 9 Note: he will learn not to let them know of his love for another at about age 16! "I've learned that if you take good care of your employees, they will take good care of your customers." Age 49 "I've learned that if I eat donuts today I wear them tomorrow." Age 34 "I've learned that encouragement from a good teacher can turn a student's life around." Age 44

Again these are taken from The Live and Learn and Pass It On book. For those who may not have known what the "throne room" is, that is the place where the water closet is found!

I've learned to listen to other people, especially those who are older and wiser than I. I used to spend a lot of time reinventing the wheel. You know what I mean? I believed that I was the only person who ever had an original idea and it was my responsibility to develop that idea into something perfect. Unfortunately, I would finish my "masterpiece" only to find that someone else had beat me to the idea, usually by years, and did a better job of developing it. Then I learned that I could take another person's idea and improve on it. When I mastered this concept, I became a better person and the world around me benefited from my improvement on an existing concept.

I've learned to learn from other people's mistakes! Why should I fall into a pit when I know other people have fallen into the same one? Why don't I listen to them tell their stories and learn to avoid the pit? Have you ever wondered why most of us do not learn from other people's mistakes? I've come to the conclusion that this personality flaw stems from arrogance, pure, simple, pride.

"Sure, John fell into the lake because he came too close to that loose shoreline. But, I'm better than John. I know how to walk lightly on loose banks. I will not fall in, SPLASH!

I've also learned that I should not always take the advice given me by those who are older and wiser than I. A really wise man weighs the advice given and compares it to the Word of God and the direction the Holy Spirit gives. Then, the wise man makes his decision. Only a fool will do everything a wise man tells him. If this is the case, the seeker is nothing but a pawn of the counselor.

In the end, it is wise to seek counsel, but to test the counsel and choose wisely from the options presented. In this way a man will not "fly off the handle" at the first idea that catches his fancy, but will be guided in right paths. This is what I have learned so far. Amen and Amen.