Iffy Advice

The other day my throat was feeling pretty dry, and I didn’t have anything to drink with me. Normally I would just go get something, but I was trapped in the car, so I couldn’t. I decided to dig through my purse for a mint, and then realized I didn’t have any of those, either.

I remembered I keep cough drops in the front pocket of my purse, so I grabbed one of them and popped it in my mouth (sans wrapper if you really must know). And I started playing with the wrapper.

If you fiddle with a wrapper in your fingers long enough, it starts to soften and feels like material. Bet you didn’t know that, did you? Well, I wanted to look at it and see if it looked any different, too.

That’s when I noticed all the phrases on the wrapper in like size 6 font. I have bifocals now (I’m 46 people, it’s not that shocking) and they were still pretty tiny to read.

As I read them, I laughed to myself. What in the world are they trying to do? These are all pep talk type phrases that you’d tell someone before they go out on the field in the last inning of a game, or into the board room to give that important pitch to investors…not so much for a person who is sick or has a cough.

And I started thinking, where do I get advice from? Who do I turn to when I need ‘pumped up’? Do I desperately dig through my purse and read all the cough drop wrappers I can get my hands on?

If so, the advice doesn’t really fit the circumstances. There are people lying in their beds sick with the flu or covid, and these cough drops provide relief for their constant coughing. If that person reads this wrapper they may laugh out loud, which could induce more coughing…

“Power through”- Okay then, guess I better get dressed and head in to work after all. My temp is only 104F.

“Put a little strut in it”- Alright, I can shake it on my way to the bathroom in my sweaty pjs, I guess.

“It’s yours for the taking”- Yep, time to take my temp again. I am feeling feverish.

I mean seriously- who needs these sort of phrases when they’re sick? It doesn’t make any sense.

We need to be careful who and where we turn to for advice. Perhaps we’ve absorbed common adages in our culture that fit a variety of circumstances, but sometimes they are still just not good advice.

Such as:

• Follow your heart
• Grab the bull by the horns
• What they don’t know won’t hurt them
• Nothing ventured, nothing gained

In the Scriptures (after a brief search) I found 15 places where Jesus confronts common beliefs of the day, says “…but I say unto you…” and then gives godly advice in opposition to what is commonly followed.

There are a lot of them in the book of Matthew. How familiar are you with those phrases? It seems they are worth studying out to find what Jesus is trying to tell us.

One example:

Mat 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
Mat 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

Jesus was challenging them to look further into their own hearts and realize that anger and hatred are just as dangerous as flat out murder.

Another one:

Mat 5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Mat 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

Jesus didn’t just tell people what to do, or throw common phrases at them. He made statements and gave advice that caused people to examine themselves in a deeper way. He challenged their motives, made them consider the ways of God and whether or not they were really followers of His ways.

Do you go to people for advice who will stroke you hair, tell you all is well, and to ‘grab the bull by the horns’? (That is horrible advice by the way. Bulls are way stronger than you and their horns will kill you. Yes, they will. You’re not the guy who’s gonna survive, trust me.)

Do you surround yourself with ‘yes men’ who agree with whatever you say and encourage you to ‘follow your heart’ and ‘Just do it’ already? If so, may I kindly recommend you leave them to their trite statements and find people who really care about your soul?

If someone loves you, they will really listen to your situation before opening their mouth. If they don’t have the answer, they will pray with you and for you instead of trying to come up with something profound to say that either doesn’t apply, or is just bad advice.

Look for people who will challenge your perspective, motives, and point you back to the words of Jesus. “But I say unto you…” is worth looking up.

Suggestion: plug the phrase “But I say unto you” into a Bible search and see what you come up with! There’s even more if you type “I say unto you”. Enjoy learning!