Community (Part 1)

Proverbs 13:20 “Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.”  I love Proverbs. Solomon is so wise and I have this burning desire to become as wise as I can become.  It was foolishness and folly that caused me to stumble years ago.  The thing that scares me the most is the fact that I know that foolishness is a part of me, it is always there, always lurking just waiting for me to tap into it.  I need to make sure I am surrounding myself with the right people.  It is always easy for me to separate the fools from the wise.  I simply look at the fruit of their lives.  I know many knowledgeable people but they are not all wise.  Being knowledgeable is knowing the facts and talking about them, whereas being wise is applying the facts to one’s life.  Anyone can talk the talk, but a wise person walks the walk.

The Community portion of the P.E.A.C.E  acronym is critical in our quest to become everything God wants us to be.  We need to surround ourselves with the right people in order for our Plans, Effort and Attitude to flourish.  Surrounding ourselves with wise people forces us to think outside of our own “box” it forces us to grow, it also gives us someone to draw upon when things aren’t going well and foolishness begins to set in.  Nothing great ever happens without the help and support of others.  I love to golf and golf is considered an “individual” sport.  But great golfers become great because they have great instructors.  People working great recovery programs always have great mentors.

One morning this week I awakened to a text message that was sent to me at 4:51am “Jay when you get up, please call me, it is an emergency.”  This person knew I got up around five or five-thirty so I gave them a call and we talked.  This person was becoming “foolish” and wanted to stop the behavior.  Instead of calling another active fool or acting out on his own by listening to “the committee in his head” he contacted a recovering “fool turned wise” for help.  I believe this person is going to be just fine all because he did the “wise” thing in seeking help from someone he considered wise.

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, this is always a tough time of year for people in recovery.  But it does not have to be.  We have control over our attitude and the people we hang with or don’t hang with (for those who isloate) often play a part in our attitude.  Take time to compile a list of those you consider to be a part of your Community and ask yourself these questions:  Are these people wise?  Do they have the “fruits” I want?  Am I talking with them?  Am I seeking help from them?

As I take a daily inventory of my life I know that if I am not growing in wisdom I am falling back into foolishness.  The easiest way for me to become foolish is to stop interacting with those who are wise.  Healthy Community is a vital key to wisdom and as Solomon says in Proverbs 3:18 “Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly.”  Choose to be happy this Christmas season, embrace those who are wise, embrace wisdom and say “so long” to foolishness.

P.E.A.C.E.

 

2 comments on “Community (Part 1)

  1. Michelle on

    The last few weeks have been very difficult for me. Before I know it I can be so deep into self pity that I don’t even recognize it. One evening this week I told my husband that I was ready to give up. I truly felt that my family would be better off without me. I was so frustrated with God because He was not rescuing me from my sadness. However in the deepest of my being I knew to hold onto the little hope that I could see. I bought into the lies that if I reached out to those I knew could help me that I would only run them right out of my life. This morning I sat down and it was if the curtains slowly opened. I read 2Cor 1:3-4. I thought about this blog and how many times God has revealed himself to me through this. I realize that had you kept all this that you share a secret, I would miss out on God’s instructions. This world comes at me from so many different angles and I am so encouraged by your life lessons. Never again will I allow myself to be isolated. God has put so many people in my life to help and in my own foolishness I hide away. I long for the day when my struggles can help someone else. Keep blogging Jay! Through you God is setting this broken person free.

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