“Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Proverbs 13:20 ESV
My current non-fiction beach book is Building a Non-Anxious Life by Dr. John Delony. In his chapter about redefining anxiety he talks about ruminating (thinking about something repeatedly). Yup, that hit home with me because I find myself ruminating constantly (something I’m working on currently, because it benefits no one, least of all me). Strangely, the more time I spend reading, the more I ruminate, and I’ve been doing a lot of reading now that summer vacation has arrived (yay!), so I’ve been ruminating and reflecting more, mostly on choice I made in that past that I’d like to redo.
I’ve been preparing a post based on Proverbs 13, so I came across this verse I had marked in my Bible:
“Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”
Proverbs 13:20 ESV
I even have a note penciled in next to it – surround myself with wise believers. Because I can look back and remember when I didn’t to this.
I recognize that I received advice that wasn’t good.
I recognize that I took advice that wasn’t good.
But, fortunately, rather than ruminating on past choices, I can be thankful that God protected me from making some unwise decisions.
And I’m more careful and discerning now about the advice I take:
- Does the advice make sense?
- Does the advice align with Scripture?
- Does the advice align with what I’m already thinking? Because if I’ve been in prayer about it, chances are pretty good that the Spirit is already talking to me about it, and His wisdom may be reinforced through Godly counsel
So join me as I work to reduce my rumination (sounds like an odd skin irritation, doesn’t it? But the word also refers to chewing the cud, so there you have it). And seek wise, Godly counsel. And be thankful.
Who do you listen to for advice? What kind of advice do you give?
“Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Proverbs 13:20 ESV
