Day 386 – Laughter Can Conceal a Heavy Heart – Proverbs 14:1-17

July 13, 2016 by H. Guthrie Chamberlain, III Leave a Comment

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 386 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Laughter Can Conceal a Heavy Heart – Proverbs 14:1-17

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 386 of our trek, and today is Wisdom Wednesday. Every Wednesday along life’s trails, we dig for the nuggets of wisdom that are found within the book of Proverbs. Today we will explore the first half of chapter 14.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. It is good to get back to a normal schedule this week. For the past two months, I have invested my morning exercise and devotional time working on the renovation projects. While it still provided a good opportunity for physical activity, it is good to get back on the treadmill for my 5 mile run each morning. I am also able to work my other exercise routines in before the run. The morning schedule allows me to have my devotional and meditation time during my 70 minutes of exercise.

As we refocus on our client work and newer projects, I have some catching up to do to clear some of the backlogs. We will get there one day at a time. Since none of us are promised more than today, that will be sufficient.

In case you missed yesterday’s Wisdom-Trek, we have started a very short segment on Tuesday and Thursday of each week called Wisdom Unplugged. It is a short 1-3 minute wisdom nugget featuring a wisdom inspirational quote designed to be a supplement on those days. Let me know how you enjoy these mini-treks by leaving a comment on Wisdom-Trek or emailing me at guthrie@venturecg.com.

As we head out on our trek for today, let’s dig for those nuggets of wisdom that fill the book of Proverbs. Today we will dig into the first half of chapter 14. Today’s trek is…

Laughter Can Conceal a Heavy Heart

¹A wise woman builds her home,
but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands.

If you are wise, either as a woman or a man, you will take the necessary steps to follow Godly principles to create a home environment that is nurturing and helpful for the entire family. This requires selfless acts of love. If you are foolish, though, you will primarily think about what is best for yourself, and make decisions based on selfishness. This will result in the destruction of the home. Ideally, all members of the family should have concern for and look after each other to foster a proper home life.

²Those who follow the right path fear the Lord;
those who take the wrong path despise him.

It does not get much simpler than this verse. If you desire to be a good and Godly person, then you will learn, understand, and apply God’s precepts to your life. By doing so you will follow the trail that is best for your life. If you choose to ignore God’s precepts, then you will find yourself on the trail that leads to destruction in your life.

³A fool’s proud talk becomes a rod that beats him,
but the words of the wise keep them safe.

Words are so important every time you open your mouth to speak you should do so with caution. If you are proud and speak that which is foolish, it will come back to harm you in the same manner as getting beaten with a whip or rods. In contrast to this, if your words are wise, they will be a hedge of protection to you, protecting you from harm. When you speak the truth, you will not have to remember what you said because it will be the truth each time.

⁴Without oxen a stable stays clean,
but you need a strong ox for a large harvest.

When you work, life may get messy and be difficult at times, but that is okay because the fruit of your labor will be worth it. Yes, life may be easier in the short term if you are lazy or not productive, but you will soon be hungry. Work hard like a strong ox and you will produce a large return.

⁵An honest witness does not lie;
a false witness breathes lies.

If you are honest at your very core, then you will not lie regardless of the situation or cost to you. Situational ethics is so prevalent that you need to be very careful not to fall victim to that thinking. A person who practices lying will become habitual at it. Lying and breathing will become one to that person. This unfortunate person will get to the point in his life where he does not even realize he is lying.

⁶A mocker seeks wisdom and never finds it,
but knowledge comes easily to those with understanding.

If a person is proud and mocking of God’s precepts even if he seeks to become wise, he never will because true wisdom comes only from God. If you seek wisdom and understanding from God, then you will easily obtain knowledge, wisdom, and insight

⁷Stay away from fools,
for you won’t find knowledge on their lips.

We need to be very cautious who we invest time with because we will become like them. If you hang with fools, you will become a fool. You can tell if someone is a fool by the way he speaks and acts. His lips will show they lack basic knowledge and common sense

⁸The prudent understand where they are going,
but fools deceive themselves.

When you are prudent, then you will set goals and make decisions that are wise and attainable. You will clearly know your purpose and the direction you would like to pursue in your life. If you lack wisdom, then you may think you are setting direction for life, but without a clear purpose for life, you will deceive yourself and wander aimlessly.

⁹Fools make fun of guilt,
but the godly acknowledge it and seek reconciliation.

If you are foolish, you will not accept responsibility for your life and, therefore, not understand the reason to seek reconciliation when you do wrong. If you are good and Godly, then when you do make mistakes or cause harm to another person you will seek forgiveness and work toward reconciliation.

¹⁰Each heart knows its own bitterness,
and no one else can fully share its joy.

No one can fully share in sadness or bitterness that you may experience. Some people may be able to empathize with you to an extent, but it will not be to the depth that you may feel. In the same manner, when you are joyful and rejoicing about a positive situation, others may share that joy but not to the same extent.

¹¹The house of the wicked will be destroyed,
but the tent of the godly will flourish.

Eventually, if a person is wicked and does not follow God’s precepts, even if they have a grand house, it will not last. In contrast, a good and Godly person, even if they only have a tent to live in, will flourish with their family because their lives are not built on material possessions.

¹²There is a path before each person that seems right,
but it ends in death.

You may make plans for your life, but if it is not based on God’s Word and His precepts regardless of how grand of plan it is, the end result will be death and destruction.

¹³Laughter can conceal a heavy heart,
but when the laughter ends, the grief remains.

You need to consider and be sensitive to the needs and hurts of others. You never know for sure what another person may be going through at any point in time. Although they may appear happy and are jovial externally, it may be a mask covering deep and lasting grief. Get to know others on such an intimate level that you understand what their true heart is feeling.

¹⁴Backsliders get what they deserve;
good people receive their reward.

If a person chooses to ignore God’s Word and his laws for life, eventually they will harvest what they have planted in life. The converse is also true. If you live a good life according to God’s Word with consistent persistence, you will harvest an abundance of what you planted.

¹⁵Only simpletons believe everything they’re told!
The prudent carefully consider their steps.

It is good to trust others, but you must also verify what you are told as truth according to God’s Word. You need to be prudent and consider your trails in life.

¹⁶The wise are cautious and avoid danger;
fools plunge ahead with reckless confidence.

It is certainly wise to show some restraint and caution in life so that you do not become involved in dangerous situations. Those who are foolish act before they think and will pay the price for their thoughtless actions.

¹⁷Short-tempered people do foolish things,
and schemers are hated.

Controlling your temper is always good. Losing your temper is always your choice. When you do lose your temper, you will fall prey to saying and doing things that are foolish. You will become known as someone who schemes and cannot be trusted. When this happens, others will avoid you and start to disdain you.

Today’s trail was once again filled with nuggets of wisdom that we can easily consume, digest, and allow to strengthen us each day. Don’t just listen to God’s Word. Allow these precepts to become habits in your life.

Tomorrow we will have another short segment of Wisdom Unplugged in which we will cover an inspirational wisdom quote. So, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along with us tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our trek for today. As you enjoy your dose of wisdom, we ask you to help us grow Wisdom-Trek by sharing with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person and invite them to come along with us each day. If you would like to listen to any of the past daily treks, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. Don’t forget to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek so each trek will be downloaded to you automatically. I would like to ask you to also rate and review us on iTunes or Google Play so that others will find out about Wisdom-Trek and join us.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you on Wednesday!

Day 385 – Your Life Matters – Wisdom Unplugged

July 12, 2016 by H. Guthrie Chamberlain, III Leave a Comment

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 385 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Wisdom Unplugged – Your Life Matters

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week, wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 385 of our trek, and today we are providing a new feature that will be available on Tuesday and Thursday of each week called Wisdom Unplugged. This will be a very short nugget of wisdom or an inspirational quote with little or no additional content for the day’s trek. Consider this your vitamin supplement of wisdom on those days. So, let’s jump right in with today’s nugget.

This is a quote from Ruth Barton which says, “As we begin to see the package God is putting together in our lives and discover his purposes for bringing us to our world, it will provide us with the framework we need to make wise choices. In addition, we will find that a sense of purpose gives hope in the midst of tragedy and difficulty, gives meaning to the mundane aspects of our lives, and helps us to make our lives count for God.”

As a recap of today’s quote remember that God has a specific purpose for your life because you matter to God. Go out today and fulfill that purpose and make a positive impact on someone else today.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow for Wisdom Wednesday!

Day 384 – The Realization of Happiness

July 11, 2016 by H. Guthrie Chamberlain, III Leave a Comment

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 384 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Realization of Happiness

Thank you for joining us for our 3 days per week, 12 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 384 of our trek, and today is Motivation Monday. Every Monday we hike the trails of life that will encourage and motivate you to live a rich and satisfying life this week. Today we are continuing our trek and will hike the trail called The Realization of Happiness.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. We arrived back from the Podcast Movement 2016 conference, and I have to say it was worth every minute and dollar invested in it. I realize that the information learned and the connections made will return many times the investment.

The PMx talk I gave on Wednesday was not quite as polished as what I had desired. But, the feedback I received from the audience was good, and I learned some lessons for the next time. Although Wisdom-Trek was not chosen for the Academy of Podcasters Award, just to be nominated was such a privilege. We are honored. Andy Stanley’s Leadership Podcast won the award in the Religion and Spirituality category, which was well deserved. It is an excellent podcast.

While at the event, we were able to reconnect with existing friends and establish many new friendships. The bonds and connections made this past week will last a lifetime.

After all the renovations on The Big House, a very enjoyable and successful family reunion, and then a great Podcast Movement conference, it will be nice to relax a little and then get back into our normal routine of client work and podcasting. I do have a few projects left that I was unable to complete before the reunion but will be able to leisurely complete those over the remainder of the summer. I plan to make a video tour of The Big House renovations once I get settled back in this week. I will let you know when that is completed.

With a new week facing us now and after some intense and exciting events, it is easy to fall into a lull period where it is hard to stay motivated. We do not want to fall prey to this, so today let’s hike the trail called…

The Realization of Happiness

Clinical psychologists believe that happiness is a product of realization. You must allow yourself to go through a process to realize happiness. While we may not experience happiness all of the time, we can take steps to ensure that we are happier in all aspects of life. It all boils down to the choices that we make in the following 14 areas:

Accept the pains. You must realize and accept your situation for what it is. Sometimes people deny their hardships, thinking that if they don’t face them, they will be happier. But it’s the other way around. Allow yourself to go through the pains. Live life how it really is today, not what you hope it to be. Joy is an even greater sense of happiness because it defies circumstances. The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:4, “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!”
Choose not to stay in pain. This is self-choice or could be called “self-empowerment.” You can either be bitter about the pains and feel very powerless, or you can make a choice to do something and feel powerful enough to handle them. It’s your choice to live with or without pain.
Forgive yourself and other people. Before forgiveness comes in, think about how other people hurt. Then realize that you can see yourself for who you actually are and not how others want you to be. So finding happiness is never rooted outside, but it’s inside you—what you see, how you view things, what you want. Then it leads to your choice: to live your life with yourself. Learn to accept all of the apologies you never receive. It is then you will be able to free yourself from the control of others.
Take responsibility for your life. You sometimes allow yourself to let other people, circumstances, or pains in the past to rule your lives. So you become very unhappy and very bitter because you live blaming others for who you are, where you are, or how you should be. It’s an exhausting process because you’ll forever be blaming other people. Don’t be bothered by who others think you are or the standards they set. Take responsibility for your life. It is not other people’s responsibility to love you. It is yours.

Learn to let go and trust yourself. To be happy means learning to let go of expectations from yourself or from other people. You can’t always have your way. At work or at home, you can’t always be sure your strategies will work, or your plans will happen. But, before you let go, have a deeper trust in yourself.
Learn to receive blessings. Think of the little things that make you happy or the people that give you assurance where you’re good. This is called receiving. You have reasons to be happy. You just don’t see them, or you take them for granted. You need to have the eyes and heart to see and feel the little and simple things in life and realize that all things that make you happy have been there all along. Choose and enjoy the little and simple things in life.
Have somebody to turn to. Even if you’re in turmoil, there are people who will support you. Too often we stick with people who make us very unhappy. If you’re unhappy, seek people who will encourage and nurture you. You become like those that you invest most of your time with. Seek out others who will serve as a well-spring of inspiration, and don’t forget to be the same for them.
Be hopeful. Having true and lasting hope is better than being optimistic since it is whole, real, and established in faith. Sometimes your optimism can be a denial of hardship. It’s easy to be fake optimistic about things, but inside you, you’re anxious about them. Hoping is deeper. It’s something you look forward to even when you recognize the difficulties and pains. The more hopeful you are, the more you recognize even when the situation is bad and difficult to handle, it will bear good results in the end. You don’t deny difficulties. You’re touching ground instead. As Hebrews 11:1 tells us, “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.”
Keep the faith alive. There’ll be points in your life when you can’t handle problems alone. Think about someone who’s wiser and stronger who loves you dearly enough to take care of you. Having faith in God will give you hope, and allowing others to minister into your life will keep your faith alive.
You can actually give intangible gifts even without your conscious effort. While it may not manifest itself immediately, people will tell you later that you’ve helped them, and gradually, you will feel you’re making a difference in their lives. That’s a deeper gift. When you help others, they affirm you by saying thank you and be blessed by your goodness. It is then that you realize that you’re a good person, and your goodness is not merely based on meeting deadlines, getting a raise, or some self-benefit. It’s more of proving your self-worth based on being loved for who you really are and not simply for the result you can deliver or the material contribution to a company or organization. This strengthens your positive attitude toward difficulties in life.
Be grateful. You have to develop in yourself the sense of gratitude. You should be thankful for what you have. But you should recognize that there are things you can do to improve your life. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us to, “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
It’s all in the mind. We are unhappy because we think we are. Unhappy people are attached to their unhappiness. They refuse to change. When you think negatively, then you attract negative thoughts. If you think that a tragedy will fall on you, it becomes self-fulfilling prophecy. Unconsciously, you make it happen. Of course, the converse is true. It all boils down to happiness being a choice.

Money isn’t everything. People accumulate more and more money but the amount of happiness they can “buy” gets smaller and smaller. Although more money may bring a greater feeling of empowerment, studies show that personal relationships, spirituality, and feelings about yourself most directly influence well-being and happiness. Money should never be viewed as a source of happiness, but a source that will allow you to have options to make better choices in life and more opportunity to positively impact the lives of others.
Discover the best friend in you. We can all change for the better. You can be happy even with yourself by discovering the best friend in you. Get real. Don’t be hard on yourself with those high, unattainable goals. It’s time you don’t look for happiness outside you. Today, let someone love you just the way you are – as flawed as you might be, as unattractive as you sometimes feel, and as incomplete as you think you are. Yes, let someone love you despite all of this, and let that someone be YOU. To create a living legacy, you must learn to love others unconditionally. Here is the caveat, you can never unconditionally love others until you first unconditionally love yourself.

We have hiked the trail of The Realization of Happiness. To a large extent, we are in control and responsible for our own happiness. Also, we can experience a deep sense of abiding joy in our lives, regardless of our circumstances. Let us learn the lessons from today’s trail and apply them each day. Our next trek will be Wisdom Wednesday when we will explore for the nuggets of wisdom found in Proverbs 14. So, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along on Wednesday for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you on Wednesday!

Day 383 – The Cycles and Seasons of Life (6) – Prepare During Spring

July 8, 2016 by H. Guthrie Chamberlain, III Leave a Comment

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 383 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Cycles and Seasons of Life (6) – Prepare During Spring

Thank you for joining us for our 3 days per week, 12 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 383 of our trek, and today is Philosophy Friday. Every Friday we will ponder some of the basic truths and mysteries of life and how they can impact us in creating our living legacy. Today we are continuing our trek covering the Cycles and Seasons of Life. In particular, we are focusing on the life season of spring.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. I am recording this episode on Monday since we will be leaving for the Podcast Movement conference in Chicago tomorrow and will be away the remainder of this week.

The reunion weekend is winding down with the final clean up and family members gradually leaving. Our final count was 76 family members in attendance which included 7 out of 9 of my siblings, my dad, our children, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews. The weather was nice, and everyone appeared to enjoy being back at The Big House for the weekend. We are blessed and humbled to be able to host it. Paula and I always enjoy being the hosts and the facilitators of family gatherings. This season of our lives allows us the opportunity to work on renovating the house and serving in this manner.

Speaking of life seasons, let’s head out on our trek for today as we continue on with the spring season within the Cycles and Seasons of Life within the section titled…

The Constant, Predictable, Pattern of Change

The essence of springtime is faith woven among the threads of massive human effort. Springtime is the fresh air of new opportunity, amid the dissipating clouds of winter. Spring is the time for you to enter the bleak, empty fields given to you as a new chance. When you enter those fields, you see in the adjoining fields the blossoming of nature’s flowers—the daisies, and other miracles of nature, which God planted, reminding you now that nature fulfills its promises. Already, the miracle of the seasons shows itself, for the same snows that gave you cause to huddle for warmth during the winter also covered nature’s crops, which exist now before your eyes.

Expend your effort now, without complaint, without doubt, without pessimism, and without self-pity over the severity of your winter of circumstance. Did the daisies complain because of the same cold and the same winds? No, they did not, yet they exist as either a reminder, a threat, or a promise. Do the lilies hide beneath the cover of earth, fearing an unexpected return of winter, or do they restrain themselves for fear of the coming bugs and weeds of summer? Do the daisies or the lilies of the field of nature make excuses or lie or linger? They are there because they endured circumstance and pushed aside the seasonal obstacles of rocks and hard-packed soil, and so must you if your life is to blossom.

The same God who gave life and meaning, and opportunity to the crops of nature now gives you the same blessings. Are you to say that you are less than a lily or a daisy? Do they have a brain or vision or choice? Do they converse one with another for the sharing of ideas? In His parable in Matthew 6:28-30, Jesus taught us,“And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?”

God does provide everything for you, but He does expect you to use your abilities as the tools to fulfill His plan. Springtime merely says, “Here I am!” Springtime sends its life and its warmth. It sends you constant messages of its arrival—the robin, the squirrels, the return of the swallows, and the berries of the field for those whose own storehouses are empty. Springtime gives a smile to those who respond to its arrival and a tear for those who sit or who make only half an effort.

Some will work only a little—enough to give to themselves excuses for the meager results come the fall. Some will fish or play or sleep or lie among the wildflowers. Some will plant foolishly or quickly and not take the time to perform to the level of their capability or intelligence. Some will trust only in the God who brought forth the wildflowers, forgetting the admonition that “faith without works is dead.”

God does provide everything for you, but He does expect you to use your abilities as the tools to fulfill His plan.

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The warmth, the sun, and the fertile fields of the spring are but part of the formula for achievement; the catalyst that produces the final result is intense, honest, and consistent human effort, and therein lies the problem. As a human, you are given freewill—the right to choose; the right to use discipline or not use it; the choice to act with courage or huddle in fear; the choice to think or respond out of habit.

When we are given a free choice, more often than not, we choose to rest, or we choose half an effort, or we choose a convenient excuse. Sometimes we choose to remain indoors because of its comfort or by a brook rather than in the field, knowing that the intelligence that lets us perform well will also let us lie well or excuse ourselves well or blame circumstances well. Above all, the gift of human intelligence and the freedom of choice that accompanies it is not a blessing but a curse, for it allows us to even fool and lie to ourselves, which is the height of ignorance.

Choose action, not rest. Choose truth, not fantasy. Choose a smile, not a frown. Choose love, not animosity. Choose the good in life in all things, and choose the opportunity as well as the chance to work when springtime smiles on your life.

Much of the effort and opportunity of springtime rests in the depth and degree of your faith. Life provides no assurances that the planting of seeds will provide the reaping of crops. We have only the demonstrated experiences of others to draw upon. The storms of life could cancel your efforts expended in the fields of opportunity. But to expend no effort during the spring will assure no results during the fall.

Choose action, not rest. Choose truth, not fantasy. Choose a smile, not a frown. Choose love, not animosity.

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Faith further provides to you an irrevocable law decreed in heaven which assures that for every disciplined human effort, you will receive multiple rewards…For each cup planted, a bushel reaped…For every good idea given to another, many shall be given to you in return…For every demonstrated act of faith, a multiplicity of the rewards…For every act of love given, a life of love in return…For each seed of encouragement given to another, a gathering of the honest effort expended during the spring and an hour of honest rest in the fall…For each act of patience and understanding rendered to another, a return of patience from another when your own acts give cause for disappointment.

It is the promise of spring that as you plant, so will you also harvest. If you plant lies, you will harvest lies; plant greed, harvest poverty; plant inactivity, harvest an empty storehouse; choose to procrastinate, and surely an infant giant will grow to become a monster rendering your future action ineffective.

The act of planting during the warm breezes of spring requires that you exert the pain of human discipline. Being unwilling to do so assures that in the coming fall, you shall surely experience the greater pain of regret—the difference is that the pain of discipline weighs ounces, and the pain of regret weighs tons. You must either plant during the springtime of life or beg from others during the fall.

A kernel of corn produces its own kind. A seed of doubt, or fear, or distrust placed in the mind also produces after its own kind. As certainly as the soil gives back the same kind that which you place into it, so also does your mind give back in the human circumstance that which you place into it by your choice of human thought. The price or effort of thinking thoughts of love, prosperity, or self-confidence is no greater than the price given to thoughts of hate, poverty, or self-doubt. Only the rewards are different.

Each day is given to you as a new season of spring. The thoughts, deeds, dreams, and efforts of today will provide tomorrow’s harvest. To neglect the opportunity given to you this day is to delay your better future. Do not use today to mentally re-live yesterday or to await the arrival of tomorrow, for tomorrow— when it arrives—will be called today. There will be no better day, no better opportunity, no better springtime, no better time to begin than the current moment. Seize the moments as you find them, and mold them into your own better future. Today’s procrastination will surely be tomorrow’s regret.

Today’s procrastination will surely be tomorrow’s regret.

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For some, the emergence of springtime is a time of great difficulty. Perhaps because of your own neglect or inactivity of past seasons, you find your storehouse and your stomachs empty. Your need for food or monies is not in the coming fall…but now. The voices of those you love echo their needs brought about by your lack of effort or results, and their eyes look away from you, lest you detect the shame and disappointment shown in them.

Under circumstances such as these, you are often given to forgetting that the seasons will neither speed up nor slow down because of your needs. The springtime will only appear, but it will not wait, nor will it transform seed into harvest. As always, the seed, as well as your needs, must await the changing seasons. You cannot ask nature for an advance. Talent, need, desire, and prayer are meaningless to those suffering the painful consequences of earlier neglect. With your empty stomachs, barren storehouse, and great regret you must enter the fields during this spring, for to neglect once again because of your demeaning circumstances is to assure a continuance of the current conditions.

Finally, become wise enough to recognize the faint glimmerings of the springtimes of life which manifest themselves each day. Take advantage of the opportunity to listen to the words of those wiser than yourself…The opportunity to lift a child upon your knee. The opportunity to walk a beach with someone you love. The opportunity to absorb the value of a good book. The opportunity to speak good things about someone when habit prompts you to find fault. The opportunity to watch the hummingbirds, or the flowers, or a butterfly perform its strange miracle.

Seize the infrequent opportunity to do nothing for a change or something for a change. Force yourself to turn off the television or computer, and embrace the opportunity for having family conversation—or even silence. Opportunity surrounds us all, appearing and disappearing just as fast, leaving behind fond memories to those who responded to its appearance, or regret to those who were then too busy to bother.

Life is truly a constant beginning, a constant opportunity, and a constant springtime. You need only to learn to look once again at life as you did as a child, letting fascination and curiosity give you a welcome cause for taking a second look, rather than taking for granted. Fortune, happiness, and peace of mind await those who learn to look for the miraculous hidden among the common. The unique blending of sun, soil, and seed at the springtime of seasons will provide predictable and miraculous results for those who will learn to take full and complete advantage of the spring.

Life is truly a constant beginning, a constant opportunity, and a constant springtime.

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This has been a rather lengthy trail on today’s trek, but it is one that we really need to take to heart and to consider and understand. The immutable laws of planting and harvesting are set by God and cannot be changed or violated any more than we can override the law of gravity. When you grasp this concept, then you can direct and achieve a rich and satisfying life.

Next Friday we will change our season to summer, but our next trek will be Motivation Monday where we explore how you can realize happiness in your life. So, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along on Monday for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you on Wednesday!

Day 382 – Walk With the Wise and Become Wise – Proverbs 13:13-25

July 6, 2016 by H. Guthrie Chamberlain, III Leave a Comment

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 382 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Walk With the Wise and Become Wise – Proverbs [13:13]-25

Thank you for joining us for our 3 days per week, 12 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 382 of our trek, and today is Wisdom Wednesday. Every Wednesday we will explore for the nuggets of wisdom that are found along the Proverb trail. Today we explore Proverbs [13:13]-25.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. We had such a blessed time with the Chamberlain Reunion at The Big House this past weekend. Reconnecting with siblings, cousins, aunts, and uncles was such an enjoyment. We are truly blessed to have the family and homestead that we do.

When this day’s trek is released, Paula and I will be in Chicago for the Podcast Movement annual conference. I am honored to have the privilege to speak during a PMx session, which is similar in format to the popular Ted Talks. These short 15-minute sessions are designed to inform and inspire the listeners with a topic that will be useful to help podcasters succeed in their podcasting journey. The talk that I will be giving is 10 Truths for Creating Your Living Legacy through Podcasting. My talk will be very similar to my Wisdom-Trek podcast. It is my hope and desire to provide the audience with practical tips to help them to live their legacy each day.

One way to ensure a living legacy is by obtaining wisdom, insight, and understanding. There is no better source for this than the book of Proverbs and today’s trek is titled…

Walk with the Wise and Become Wise

Let’s begin today Proverbs [13:13].

¹³People who despise advice are asking for trouble;
those who respect a command will succeed.

A person who does not seek advice from wise and tested people will end up making foolish decisions and will end up in trouble. In fact, that person is considered a fool. The fact is that to succeed you must be willing to take advice and learn from others that have proven themselves successful in various areas of life. We must respect and seek out those who are wise.

¹⁴The instruction of the wise is like a life-giving fountain;
those who accept it avoid the snares of death.

We need to seek out the instruction of those individuals that have gained wisdom and insight through the years of their life journey. That wisdom will be like water in a desert providing us life and sustenance to carry on where otherwise we would perish.

¹⁵A person with good sense is respected;
a treacherous person is headed for destruction.

It is very refreshing to be in the presence of a person with a wealth of common sense. It seems so rare in today’s world. We can respect a person who has these traits. On the other hand, a person without good sense cannot be trusted because they are unreliable, unfaithful, and two-faced.

¹⁶Wise people think before they act;
fools don’t—and even brag about their foolishness.

A sign of a wise person is that they are not reactionary. They will take the proper time to think before taking action. This will prevent them from making decisions or taking action that would be harmful to themselves or others. In contrast to this is the fool who reacts instead of taking action and is only wise in his own eyes but whose decisions and actions prove otherwise.

¹⁷An unreliable messenger stumbles into trouble,
but a reliable messenger brings healing.

A person who cannot be relied on for information or results will find themselves stumbling through life. He falls into trouble himself and brings trouble for those he impacts. A person who is reliable is like healing to those who are afflicted. A reliable person is dependable, which soothes the soul, much like medicine would heal the body.

¹⁸If you ignore criticism, you will end in poverty and disgrace;
if you accept correction, you will be honored.

No one likes to be criticized because it hurts our egos and often offends us. If you do not heed constructive criticism, you will be a poor person who continues down a path of disgrace. Criticism is necessary if we are to grow in wisdom. If we willingly accept correction, we will live a life of honor and respect from others.

¹⁹It is pleasant to see dreams come true,
but fools refuse to turn from evil to attain them.

All of us have dreams and ambitions, and when we are able to achieve them it is a pleasant occurrence. God’s Word is full of wisdom and precepts that should be congruent with our dreams. When our dreams are contrary to God’s guidelines and we refuse to change them, then we shouldn’t be surprised when our dreams turn to nightmares. When God’s precepts are adhered to, then there will be a predictable outcome. When they are not, then we cannot expect God to save us from our foolish decisions.

²⁰Walk with the wise and become wise;
associate with fools and get in trouble.

You become like those who you invest time with. If you invest time with wise people and listen to their wisdom, you will gain wisdom yourself. If you spend time with foolish and wicked people, you will become like them. Like my mom would say, “If you lie down with dogs, don’t be surprised when you wake up with fleas.”

²¹Trouble chases sinners,
while blessings reward the righteous.

Your thoughts will determine your actions, which will determine your outcomes in life. When you choose to do what is contrary to God’s precepts, then you will have troubles in your life. In contrast, those who practice being good and Godly will experience the reward of a peaceful and pleasant life that is free from fear and anxiety.

²²Good people leave an inheritance to their grandchildren,
but the sinner’s wealth passes to the godly.

A person who is good and Godly will make wise financial decisions and, as a result, will be able to accumulate wealth and Godly traditions that will be passed through the generations to come. Not so for those who make unwise financial decisions and become a slave to the lenders. They will not have wealth nor wisdom to pass on to future generations.

²³A poor person’s farm may produce much food,
but injustice sweeps it all away.

While there are situations that are completely out of our control where we lose our financial foundation, this loss, in most cases, is because of unwise financial decisions that we have made. This verse would indicate that even when a poor person has the opportunity to gain a solid footing financially because of their past unwise decisions any gain is swept away by the creditors that they are slaves to.

²⁴Those who spare the rod of discipline hate their children.
Those who love their children care enough to discipline them.

This verse has fallen into some controversy in today’s politically correct world view. While I certainly do not advocate any type of abuse to children at any age, there are times when children and adults need to be disciplined for unwise decisions. What we lose in the word discipline is the root word to disciple. When you disciple a person, you take him alongside you to train and teach him how to make proper decisions. This is what we need to do for our children and grandchildren, to bring them alongside us, to care for them enough that we are willing to pour ourselves into their lives.

²⁵The godly eat to their hearts’ content,
but the belly of the wicked goes hungry.

If you have the right mindset about contentment, then regardless if you are in plenty or in want, you will still be content with what you have. Those who are not content with what they currently have, certainly will not be content with more. This applies to food or anything else in life.

That brings us to the end of our trail for today as we complete Proverbs 13. Once again, the wealth of wisdom that we are able to dig up from the nuggets contained in these verses is amazing. It certainly is true that if we walk with the wise, we will become wise. Let’s walk on today.

Our next trek will be Philosophy Friday when we will continue to ponder and study the Cycles and Seasons of Life, and in particular the season of spring. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along on Friday for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you on Wednesday!

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