Dear Younger Women, are you ready to be trained?

Training begins at home.

Titus 2:4 instructs older women to train the younger women. If older women are to train the younger women from God's word, then the younger women are to receive this training. Some older women become discouraged and give up their responsibility because the younger women become offended or are not willing to listen. While love is the proper motivation for training the younger women, a humble heart is the proper attitude for receiving the training.

Based on my conversations with other women, there seems to be a disconnect between training and acceptance. As mentioned previously, a lack of close relationships may be the cause. Solomon wrote, "Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy" (Proverbs 27:6, NASV). Sometimes the truth hurts, but who would we rather deliver the hurtful truth - a friend seeking to help us grow and become a better person, or the individual lying to us in order to avoid any hard feelings, stunting our ability to see our lives objectively? Our culture seems to no longer value honesty, especially when telling the truth may hurt. We are a society that believes any kind of discomfort or pain that requires us to change or "look bad" is wrong. Therefore, we avoid it at all costs -- even at the cost of lost souls!

Assume that the older woman who reaches out to you does so because she loves you and cares about your soul and home.

How should the younger women react to advice from older women?

• Defensive? "You can't tell me what to do."
• Prideful? "Who do you think you are? I know what I'm doing."
• Plain Silly? "She's trying to tell me how to raise my children. I'm never walking through those doors again!"
• None of these. Correct!

Much emphasis is placed on teaching and training. Do we stress the importance of receiving instruction? God does! God teaches us how important advice and instruction are. If we want to be wise, we must "listen to advice and accept instruction" (Proverbs 19:20). Wisdom is knowing how to use the knowledge we have. This requires discernment and judgment. The word "wisdom" is used over 100 times in the book of Proverbs! The inspired writer James writes, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him" (James 1:5, ESV). One way God gives us wisdom is through the advice of those Christians who have sharpened their ability to discern the word of God through practice and study.

Pride is an obstacle we may hit on the road to wisdom. A proud person may also be considered a "fool" as defined by the Bible in Proverbs 12:15: "The fool is right in his own eyes." A fool is never wrong. He will defend his position and thoughts without wavering or considering any others. As a result, this foolish pride causes strife and damage in every relationship. God tells us that wisdom is the cure for pride (Proverbs 13:10), and that the wise listen to advice (Proverbs 12:15b).

"Listen to advice and accept instruction that you may gain wisdom in the future" (Proverbs 19:20, ESV).

Which do you want to be - the fool or the wise? Which does God want you to be?


*Note: For an excellent read on how to deal with foolish individuals, I highly recommend Fool-proofing Your Life by Jan Silvious.