Wrong Tool for the Job

"You are using the wrong tool for the job." These words do not refer to my use of a hammer for the work of a screwdriver. Rather, they reflect my tendency while at home to use emergency medicine skills - forceful commanding - instead of gentle listening skills. I mix up my tools.

Using the wrong source of advice is similar to using the wrong tool. As a physician, I am often amazed as people seek medical advice from the strangest sources. Or consider financial decisions - do we not all have a story about acting on inappropriate advice?

Spiritually, the same can be true. There are times when my soul needs refreshment, yet the world beckons. Again, the propensity arises to go to the wrong well for a drink. Sometimes I seek a friend or a good book. But in the end, spiritual discernment comes only from God. In the end, the restlessness of my soul is only satisfied by Him - His word and the work of His Spirit.

Using the wrong tool, the wrong advice, the wrong source has been my folly at times. From the Bible, I see that I am not alone.

"Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the Lord but only from physicians." (2 Chronicles 16:12 NIV)

Sharing the journey with you,