Taking Advice

Every time I open my web browser at home, the "news" of the day pops up. In the last couple of days, there has been an inordinate amount of advice given about everything from investing to weight loss (that one is huge this time of year) to how to most effectively return gifts you didn't like or want for Christmas. The articles, at first glance, all seem to be well written, somewhat thought out, and reasonable. Then I began to wonder who wrote the darn thing...? From what wise individual am I about to take life changing advice?

The answer was most noted in an article about a woman who was having trouble following everything that Oprah said to do. You read that correctly; she was having trouble following everything that Oprah said she should do. Her basic problem was that she didn't feel like she measured up and that she was somehow guilty of falling short of the ideal; namely Oprah. When I began to dig into the other articles about advice and who was giving it and who should be following it, there was a trend that began to be revealed. People who had gained some sort of "celebrity" status were given the right to advise us about absolutely everything. Look for it... it is right there. Oprah tells us what books to read and we read them. She tells us how to lose weight and we try. She indicates what our beliefs should be and we shift ours to align with hers.

This morning I've been digging into some scripture on advice. Christians are to seek wise counsel. We are to ask questions and become discerning. We are to act. In this day and age of worldly wisdom being splattered all over the screen in front of me, I want to take a big step back and look at what advice I'm being given and from whom. Do I trust a celebrity more than a godly mentor? Do I trust someone that is only a name/face to me more than the people who have invested the most in me over time?

Yeah, I want to get in shape this year (don't I say that every year?) but before I jump into the newest craze (and by the way, that Wii Fit thing is deceivingly hard on the body), I want to seek wisdom. In the days that come, I want to surround myself with people much smarter and wiser than me to help me along the path. Quite, simple I need to more closely follow the advice of the One I say I trust the most; Jesus. Now, that's a resolution... Happy New Year!