Wisdom Received through Unsolicited Advice

Many times things happen in our lives and we wonder why. James 1 talks about trials and asking God for wisdom. Twice this week I was given advice by two different people completely unrelated to each other and about two different things but both equally valid and valuable.

I have a co-worker who is high energy and has a hard time sitting still and doing his work. He's good at his job but is very social, vocal, and is fun to be around. He's loves having a good time, is charming and engaging, and people, especially women, are attracted to him. He's just very charismatic. Due to this, he's sometimes looked at like a slacker and is not considered management material, not that he really wants it but it's an image that will be hard for him to shake when he does.

Anyway, he came to do a y-connect with me to listen to how I connect with clients. He's 15 years younger than me but he asked the boss if he could do some training and the boss sent him over to listen to me and another co-worker. I must say that I was impressed with him. He was uplifting (no surprise), highly encouraging (no surprise), full of excellent advice (surprised), and pushed me out of my comfort level to be more enthusiastic (GREAT ADVICE). I've been focusing on that this week and it's been a great help. Thanks, Jayson.

The second person with unsolicited advice was from a pastor friend at church. I helped him teach a class last night and at the end he pulls me aside and encourages me by saying that I had a lot of good things to say but there were times when I used "umm" too much and he could tell it's holding me back and if I could work on getting that out of my speaking it would improve my effectiveness not only in teaching but at work. Later he comes by before he leaves, puts his arm around me and says, "love ya brother." He was sensitive to possible feelings of resentment for giving unsolicited advice. He loves God and he loves his brothers and sisters in Christ. I've been working on this today. I tell you that this takes a lot of concentration not to say "umm" because it's a big part of my speech. It's a bad habit. Thank you, John, for encouraging me to get rid of it.