July 20 - Prov. 20

Form your purpose by asking for counsel, then carry it out using all the help you can get.
Proverbs‬ ‭20:18‬ ‭MSG‬‬

I've had the privilege of working with some good people in my life, but a few stand out as wise men and women that knew the right thing to say at the right time. One of those people was a man who had two teenage boys in our youth group (Rhonda and I served as Youth leaders in the church), and his encouragement was always appreciated. Even when he said no to an outlandish idea he had a way of saying it that didn't make us get defensive or feel put down. He was part of a group of God-fearing leaders over our lives who not only had authority (technically the board was our  boss), but he cared deeply for us as a young couple in ministry.

When that man suddenly passed away there was a huge gap for us - one of our "go-to guys" was gone. But one of the principles we learned was that you can never have too many wise, caring and godly people that speak into your life. Recognizing who these people are and seeking them out has become a pattern that has saved us in many ways, and they are a true gift from God.