“Without counsel plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established.” Proverbs 15:22

Consulting Others

I was the ninth man (a spindly guard) on my high school basketball team my senior year, and I usually entered the game with about a minute or so left. That was the only playing time I got. One game, I came in while a teammate was shooting two free throws. I was back at mid-court while an opponent slipped behind me, trying to sneak toward the basket and catch a quick inbounds pass for an easy layup.

My teammates on the bench yelled at me continually, “Get back and guard him!” I motioned toward the bench. “It’s okay,” I said. “I’ve got him.” The first free throw was made. My teammates, again, yelled, “Stan, get back!” I repeated my response.

The ball was in the free throw shooter’s hand, and now the entire bench was standing up yelling and motioning for me to get back. I stubbornly repeated my response a third time, backing up only two steps.

Sure enough, the shot was made, their center grabbed the ball, stepped out of bounds and threw a baseball pass right over my head to his teammate for an easy layup! It was the most embarrassing moment in sports for me. I didn’t listen to good advice about…oh…15 or 16 times.

Do you find yourself sometimes in a situation where you’re not sure what to do? Do you flip a coin, trust your wits or seek counsel? Believe me, as it says in Proverbs 11:14b “…in a multitude of counselors there is safety.”

— Stanley A. Tucker

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