Listening to Advice

READ: PROVERBS 12:15; 15:22; 19:20; 1 CORINTHIANS 12:12-27

I like to do things on my own. I never enjoyed group projects in school because it seemed like I was the one to be the most focused or the one who cared the most about grades, so then I ended up putting pressure on myself to pick up the slack from everyone else. Plus, I know what it is that I want to do, and working in a group is difficult because people have lots of different opinions about what should be done or how it should be done.

As I grew into adulthood, that dislike for working on group projects continued in the form of just generally wanting to do my own thing. Sometimes, it’s hard for me to listen to the advice of others because I know what it is I want to accomplish, and I know how I want to accomplish it.

But the times I have sought advice and truly listened to what others had to say about different circumstances I was facing, I was able to make a better decision about how to move forward. When God saves us, He places us in community for a reason. He says, “All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27). We’re often tempted to think that we don’t need other people, that life would be simpler if we just did things ourselves, but we are meant to lean on one another. We are not meant to do this life alone. There is so much freedom and confidence that comes from turning to other people and truly listening to what they have to say. • Tynea Lewis

• Do you like group projects? Why or why not? Can you think of a time when having multiple people’s perspectives and abilities resulted in a better outcome than one person could have produced on their own?

• What is one area of your life that you could benefit from listening to the advice of others?

• Who is a trusted person in your life who could provide wise and godly counsel when you are facing difficult situations or decisions—someone who embodies the wisdom described in James 3:12-18? If no one comes to mind, you can ask God to help you identify someone in the future.

Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life. Proverbs 19:20 (NLT)