The late Myles Munroe once said, “Our life is the sum total of all the decisions we make every day…”. I understand this sentiment. Our choices matter. However, much of life also is determined by circumstances beyond our control. No one chooses cancer. No person in their right mind opts to be injured seriously in an automobile accident. Yet the manner by how we respond to such situations determine what life will look like for each of us. So, yes, our choices do matter.

     

     And hopefully, the choices we make are well informed. Chapter twelve in the book of First Kings records a critical decision made by King Rehoboam. Following the death of his father, Solomon, a contingency of leaders from the northern tribes of Israel paid a visit to the new king. They presented a request that Rehoboam reduce both the workload and the taxes excised upon the people.

 

     Rehoboam thoughtfully turned to his father’s advisors. People who had extensive experience in governance. The elders essentially counseled Rehoboam to ease the mandates placed upon the people. However, Rehoboam turned to a group of his inexperienced contemporaries who advised the king to ramp up the government’s demands. Tragically, Rehoboam took the commendations of the latter group which ultimately lead a civil conflict between the northern and southern tribes of Israel.

 

     Now, I am all for seeking advice from a variety of viewpoints. I presently am watching Mike DeWine’s daily address and am pleased that the governor has sought the guidance of several fields of expertise during the Covid-19 outbreak. Proverbs 15:22 claims, “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed” (NIV).

 

     In Rehoboam’s case, however, it’s rather apparent that Rehoboam wasn’t seeking wisdom as much as he was permission. It seems that the new king had his mind made up all along. He simply went in search of an eventual source that would confirm his preference.

 

     We oftentimes do the same. For example, many people refuse an annual influenza vaccine, even though their doctor insists that they receive one. (I am one of these people.) There really isn’t a good reason to decline a physician’s counsel. Getting a flu shot is like buying insurance. If you get sick, you really wish you had bought it.

     

     So, why do we refuse our medicine? Strangely enough, we tend to believe the horror stories more than we do the evidence. Perhaps a friend told us of a terrible experience she once had after receiving a flu shot. Or that vaccines are the government’s way of taking away individual rights. Whatever the rationale we use, we likely accept the counsel embedded in someone’s story rather than the advice of a trained professional because stories are so much easier to remember.

 

     So, when seeking advice for an important decision we must make, the first place we should turn is the mirror. We should ask ourselves if we really want another’s counsel or their consent to go through with what we have preset our minds to doing. This singular self-inquiry could mean the difference between triumph or travesty.