A Habit of Hearkening

(Proverbs 12:15 KJV)  The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.

We should be our own worse critic.  I know it is hard.  We are inside our own skin.  Our thinking is molded by our experiences and limitations.  We might be color blind or tone deaf.  We might be mentally deficient.  We might never have been out on our own.  With all that, how can we make the right decisions?

At school I have kids ask me, “How do you know so much?”  Now obviously, I am older and that should count for something but there are other ingredients to my knowledge pool.  The one I always point out is that I am one who “harkeneth” (listens NASB) (8085).  When I am at a faculty meeting and the chances of anything worth hearing are minuscule, I still listen.  You never know.  When I am listening to a boring sermon, poorly delivered, I still pay attention.  You never know.  When I get nagged, I consider what is said.  You never know.

So?  One of the things we don’t want said about us is that we never know because we never listen.  Try it.  You might find it handy in a Trivial Pursuit game.  You might find it handy in a crisis.