Tip: Wisdom is hard to beat!
Have you ever had a situation that you did not know exactly how to handle? Those times are usually extremely difficult and stressful. Typically the problem itself is not the biggest challenge that we face. The real stress comes from not knowing what to do about the problem. Such a situation happened in my family many years ago.
When my daughter, Esther, was just learning to walk, I noticed that she seemed to be extremely pigeon-toed. I hoped that she would grow out of it but as the months passed, it did not seem to get any better; it got worse. I felt very concerned and afraid because I had heard many horror stories about children who had to wear leg braces for months, or even years, until their legs were straightened. I was concerned about the problem, but not knowing what to do about it concerned me even more!
We took Esther to Dr. Leila Denmark. She had the reputation of being one of the wisest pediatricians who has ever lived. Being around her and listening to her talk was like listening to a female Solomon! There was just no one else like her. Anyway, Dr. Denmark took one look at Esther’s legs and said, “You need to put this child on roller skates!” WHAT? I had not taken my daughter to the doctor to be told to take her roller skating! I wanted to find out what to do about her legs!
Dr. Denmark must have read my mind because she said, “Roller skates are the greatest device known to mankind to help children have straight legs.” She continued, “The weight of the skates pulls the legs downward and makes the muscles form in the right direction. Then the repetition of continually pushing the legs with the heavy skates on her feet will cause her legs to get straighter and straighter each day. I have seen this many times before and roller skates are the answer!” Then she went on about her business like it was no big deal.
I remember feeling a little frustrated because I just could not believe it was that simple. There had to be more to it than just roller skates! That did not sound like much of a medical solution to what I considered a serious problem.
We purchased some roller skates for Esther and, even though she was a very little girl, she started skating. She skated all day long. She skated in the house on the carpet, outside on the carport, in the alley, on the sidewalk, and sometimes even in the street. In fact, in just about every family picture we took of Esther from the time she was about two years old until she was ten, she has on a pair of roller skates! We got so used to seeing her in roller skates that it just became “normal”. All of our other children would put on socks and shoes and Esther would put on socks and roller skates! She skated all summer long and then during the school year, she would come home and skate in the afternoon. She never realized that she was “in traction” for the purpose of straightening her legs. Within a matter of months, her legs began to straighten out and now her legs are perfect and healthy in every way. Dr. Denmark had wisdom for our problem!
You see what I mean? What was a huge problem to me was not much of a problem at all to someone who had the wisdom to know what to do about it. We can talk about our problems until we are “blue in the face,” but just talking about them really does no good. What makes a major difference is when we talk to someone who has the wisdom to know what to do about our problem, challenge or situation.
I don’t know what new challenges you are facing right now, but I can assure you that there are many people who are available to help you. They can share from their own personal experience what they have learned in order to help you in your situation or circumstances in which you now find yourself. I would encourage you to do everything in your power to search out those people and keep them close. They will be the ones who can give you the guidance you need when it comes time to make a difficult decision.
I know everyone is willing to give you their advice or opinion, but that is not what I am talking about here. I am talking about someone who has wisdom learned from personal experience that has brought about success in their own life or in the lives of others. That is what you should pursue with all of your heart. It will reward you handsomely and make your life better in every way possible.
Tip: Wisdom is hard to beat!
Have a great week! God bless you!
Dr. Robert A. Rohm
