“Without counsel, plans go wrong, but with many advisers they succeed.” Proverbs 15:22
Apparently Romania observes daylight savings time which resulted in our losing an hour unexpectedly overnight. Rather than getting to “sleep in” until 8 and then get ready for church, Sara and I “overslept” until 9. We both realized our mistake right away but fortunately the kids were in good spirits which made a more rapid preparation for the day possible. Those that wanted to and could do so quickly showered and then we headed out for service. We are fortunate that even here in the middle of Romania there is a church which offers a service in Romanian and English. While that means that services run a little longer than our usual 1 hour, we at least get to sing along with most songs and understand the sermon.
After finishing church I walked the kids home along with Anjali’s new friend Rebecca. The girls had made plans to bake a cake following church and then we invited Rebecca’s family, our new friends from New Zealand, over for dinner. The girls learned, and more importantly were open to, the concept of many advisors. Anjali has, in the past, been known to attempt to do things on her own without instruction because, as she puts it, she wants to be independent. Her belief is that independence means capable of doing things on your own with no assistance whatsoever. Without counsel, plans go wrong. Unfortunately she has had to learn this lesson often and at most times with great distress as she is also very headstrong. But in this case, and perhaps because her friend was present, she was more willing to consult a recipe as well as be open to counsel from Sara, our resident baking expert. As a result, the cake and icing turned out beautifully, a real treat for the 6 kids and 4 adults. Better yet, Anjali had a great time with baking and spending time with her friend. I hope that this lesson will reinforce the notion that independence does not mean ignoring good counsel but rather knowing how to use the good counsel around her.
While the girls baked, Sara and I got to spend some time together doing yoga, something we both enjoy but rarely get to do together. Our detox practice was refreshing and invigorating helping to loosen our bodies and our minds. I find these hour long practices to be the perfect opportunity to not only feel healthier but to clear my mind of all the clutter that I allow to enter and remain. I find it is good to clear my thoughts so that I can better allow the good counsel of others to enter, whether it be the quiet voice from God or the more overt voices of my friends, spouse, and children.
Sara's Daily Scripture and Journal 