Take hold of instruction; do not let go. *
Heed instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. +
In preparation for our son’s wedding, Barb and I went online and ordered a tent canopy for the rehearsal dinner. It arrived in several boxes. The instructions indicated we’d need about 6 people to set it up.
On the setup day I didn’t have 6 people. Only 3. What to do?
“How hard can it be?” I thought. “We’ll make do with what we’ve got.”
Halfway into assembling the tent I realized why the instructions called for 6 people. The canvas has to be installed onto the roof frame and then the entire roof structure of the tent must be lifted up as a unit while the legs are attached. It was clear that if we we tried it with only 3 people we would bend the frame and ruin it. Once again, the person who wrote the instructions knew better. After I followed the instructions, it ended up looking quite nice.
What’s the point? Well, the Lord has shown me something about myself that needs some attention: I don’t mind following instructions when they make sense. But if I’m asked to follow procedures without understanding why, I tend to resist the instruction and do things my own way.
I’m not pleased about what this reveals — it’s nothing more than a self-sufficient, prideful spirit. And it stems from believing that I have an adequate grasp of the situation and can chart the best path myself.
The Lord is prompting me to adopt a default position that heeds instruction,takes hold of it, and will not let go. Rather than challenging it.
How do you receive instruction?