Have you ever parented a teenager? Bless your heart! Have you ever been a teenager and had to deal with parents? Bless your heart! I want to share a little story. My daughter had her first summer job this year, and she had to ask the manager to change her schedule for a doctor’s appointment. He said he would change her from a full shift to a half shift that day, which meant she needed to go in at three pm. She kept checking the scheduling app, and she was not listed on the schedule for that day at all. As any mother (or anyone who had held a job for long) would, I said, “Maybe you should call him and double-check! He did say you would work a half shift.” She responded that he must have changed his mind because it is sometimes easier to schedule full day shifts. I let it go for a bit, but there was a gnawing feeling of doubt in my stomach that she had made the wrong choice. 

Over the course of the week, I occasionally asked if she had communicated with her manager, and she answered that she had not, but she checked the schedule daily, and he had not added her. On the day of the appointment, she was still not on the schedule, and we set out for the doctor’s appointment. On the way, she asked if I would take her and her friend to the mall afterward. Before I said yes, I asked about the work schedule again, doubt growing ever stronger. She reminded me that she had already checked the schedule that morning and that I didn’t need to worry. She was on top of things. I couldn’t help giving my opinion that she should call or at least text and make sure that there wasn’t an error, but she was adamant that she was right. So later in the day her friend came over, and as we started to leave for the mall my daughter’s phone rang. Who was it? Yeah, I think you’ve already guessed…it was her boss wondering where she was and if she was coming to work. 

The story turned out okay. The manager found someone before he called who covered the shift. My daughter learned a lesson about communication in the workplace, and we had a less fun mall trip because at that point she was a little worried she might be fired from her summer job. When we talked about it later, I told her that when an adult offers you wise counsel, you should take it. I told her that I know things she doesn’t know and think about things from a perspective that she doesn’t; not because I am smarter or better, but because I have lived longer and have more experience. 

The verses Isaiah 55:8-9, popped into my head as I was talking and all of a sudden, I was stepping on my own toes.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

As I gently lectured my child, my heavenly Father reminded me that when I don’t listen to His word or seek His opinion, I am showing the same immaturity as my teen in relation to me. I should be seeking His ways, not my way in life, not earthly solutions to problems. Instead, we should seek wise counsel that is generously given to all who seek it. By reading God’s word and spending time with Him in prayer, we can learn God’s ways and follow them in our own lives. We can have real comfort in times of need, answers to difficult questions, and avoid some of the unpleasant consequences that might come if we choose our own way. As I told my daughter I am not smarter than you but just think differently, I realized that my Heavenly Father IS smarter than me (all knowing), and he does not get caught up in earthy thoughts or worries as I am prone to do. 

So today, are you struggling with worry, making a decision, or just wondering why things are going the way they are in your life, your community, the world? Join me in seeking wise counsel from our Father in heaven. His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. You can trust that following Him is always the right decision.