Toolbox For Faith

“Thanks for the advice,” the person said as she left my office shortly before the start of our Vacation Bible School. “That was really helpful.” The remark caught me off guard because I thought that we were having a good discussion looking at possible options. I had not thought that I was distributing advice.

The next day I read an interview with David Freedman who wrote Wrong: Why Experts Keep Failing Us - and How to Know When Not to Trust Them when I came across his definition of good and bad advice which brought me back to the evening before. He said that bad advice tends to be simplistic, definite, universal and certain. Good advice, he feels, tends to be less certain.

I really appreciated what he said. Many people want a black and white world which explains why bad advice resonates with so many people who want simple, certain answers. Others see the world as a rainbow of colors which explains why good advice tends to be less certain. Good advice acknowledges that there are many roads to reach a destination, not just one way.

After reading all of Freedman’s comments, I started thinking that looking at possible options might be the best advice we can give or receive. And then I realized that sounded very simplistic, definite, universal and certain which made it bad advice. Oops! All I am certain about now is that I would appreciate it if you didn’t ask me for advice.