Saturday, October 10, 2009

A Second Opinion...

I can't really remember to many instances growing up ever hearing those words being uttered in my presence; whether at home, school, church nor on the television. But, that was then and this is definitely now, and it seems you can't even listen to good radio program without someone on the program or one of their sponsors extolling the importance of getting a Second Opinion.

Understand, I am in agreement with most who say that having a Second Opinion is a good thing and makes it a little easier for people to decide on the courses of actions they will attempt to take, but in the same token a Second Opinion has been known to send persons off into the wrong direction with serious and sometimes fatal results.

So, what do we do? Should we go throughout our lives without ever asking for Second Opinions ever again, or do we figure up some sort of mathematical formula to help us decide when to ask for a Second Opinion? There is a passage of scripture in the Bible which speaks of a place of safety, Proverbs 11:14 Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety. This speaks of decisions one could make and without the proper guidance the individual is destined to fail, and it isn't enough that you have a lot of people telling and giving you their opinions; the scripture is referring to 'wise' or knowledgeable persons; those familiar with the subject matter.

So, why do we yet ask for Second Opinions if the counsel we receive is wise and very knowledgeable? I believe it is because we as a people really have stopped taking words given in wisdom for granted. We look to be soothed and if what is being said doesn't make us all warm and fuzzy or make us feel as we are the 'cats meow' then we look for someone else's opinion.

This, sadly, is what has been taken place inside the very churches we tell people to come to and have your life changed by a Lord and Saviour who can do the impossible, and then once we have them inside we give them exactly what they were getting before they came, and teaching them to rely on their own abilities to make it happen. Yeah, God is omnipotent and all that, but here's a formula and steps to get the husband you want or the wife you are looking.

We have come to read the scriptures and understand what they are saying to us, and how that the Lord of the scriptures is calling for a holy people to walk in the paths He has designated for them to walk...we instead with our actions to the contrary have said to the Lord, "Can I get a Second Opinion".

1 comment:

shoprat said...

From an infallible God you need no second opinion. When dealing with all-too-fallible men we need to take the advice of Proverbs about "an abundance of counselors" in many circumstances.