Take This Advice

“Listen now to me and I will give you some advice.”  Exodus 18:19

Advice is a lot like cough syrup—it’s easier to give than take.  But learning to listen and heeding what is helpful is a valuable skill, no matter the source of counsel.  

For Moses, the suggestions started when his father-in-law showed up.  The Israelites were several weeks into their cross-desert march when Jethro arrived with opinions on what Moses should do and how he should do it.  He watched as the Jewish leader dealt with disputes from dawn till dusk, handing down decisions and making peace between friends and foes—case by case, one by one, all day long.   

At suppertime Jethro spoke up. “What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone”(Ex 18:17)  A weary Moses yawned and nodded his assent, but Jethro wasn’t about to say good night!  Instead, he continued on, “Listen now to me and I will give you some advice”(Ex 18:19).  

Really?  Jethro, an uninvited in-law with no experience in leading large groups to new lands, was offering unsolicited, untested advice?  Yep, but his guidance was good.  “Split the work and share the burden. Let others handle the simple stuff.  You only deal with the difficult. ^‘If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied’”(Ex 18:23).

Moses could have rolled his eyes and blown Jethro off in arrogance—after all, God had chosen HIM and not someone else for the job—but, instead, Moses humbly and wisely “listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said”(Ex 18:24).

 

Learn to listen to the advice of others.  Toss what’s trash.  Hang on to what’s helpful.  Make sure you don’t get rid of some good just because you’re grumpy.  God speaks through many people to guide us in His will, and sometimes the simplest solutions and clearest directions are suggested by someone else.  We just need to be humble enough to hear and wise enough to heed.   

Now that’s advice we all need to take!  (And that’s better than any cough syrup!

(For the record, I am beyond blessed with the most amazing and incredible in-laws on earth and am continually amazed at the wisdom and grace they pour into my life.  I want to thank them again for their patience with me these many years and for their guidance and grace as I’ve grown.  Yes, I know used the word grace in both of those sentences, and, yes, that’s because I’ve needed much and they have shown me even more.  Their advice and their visits are welcome at any time—invited or not!)