Shownotes
Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy
Welcome to Day 524 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.
This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom
Providing Guidance – The Tools in Gramps’ Backpack
Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 524 of our trek, and we are hiking a series of trails called The Tools in Gramps’ Backpack. Each Monday for a total of 20 weeks we will explore a different tool that is needed to equip parents and grandparents to train their children and grandchildren to be successful on their trek of life. If you don’t have children or grandchildren of your own, use these tools to train others that you do influence. Today the third tool from Gramps’ Backpack is Guidance.
We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. When this episode originally airs, I will be working with our partners in Arizona on our construction project. I will be there the entire week as we finish the current project and start preparing for potential new projects this year. As we work together, we provide guidance to each other on the various parts of our projects, based on our individual knowledge and strengths.
In the same thought, as we head out on our trek for today, let’s open Gramps’ backpack again and explore our third tool, which every parent or grandparent should have available to them. This tool is helpful to anyone who has the opportunity to impact others. To effectively and positively impact the lives of others, the next tool that you must possess is the ability to provide guidance to those whom you influence. So our tool for today is…
Guidance
The third tool in Gramps’ backpack is providing guidance, which is an important tool for molding and shaping the lives of children, grandchildren, and others we influence. King Solomon did this when teaching his children as he wrote in Proverbs 1:5, “Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance.” 
Let me ask you this question, “Are you a dedicated parent or grandparent who wants to share your wisdom with your children and grandchildren?” If so, you must continue to grow both spiritually and intellectually. When you do, you will be a wise role model and a worthy mentor for your children and grandchildren. You will be a parent or grandparent who by your words and your example can guide them along the paths of life they should travel.
You are not only a role model, but you also need role models. Even if you are a grandparent, it is always good to seek out friends and mentors yourself who are able to help you along your path. A mentor should be a person whose judgment you trust. Listen carefully to your mentor’s advice and be willing to accept that advice, even if accepting it requires a little pain, a lot of effort or both. Certainly, God through His Word and His Spirit can help to instruct. Also, if I can assist in any manner, please email me at guthrie@wisdom-trek.com.
Author John Eldredge said it this way, “Yes, the Spirit was sent to be our Counselor. Yes, Jesus speaks to us personally through God’s Word, but often He works through another human being.” As it says in Proverbs 16:16, “How much better to get wisdom than gold, and good judgment than silver!”
In the same way that you are able to provide guidance to those you mentor, look for others who are wiser and more mature to mentor you. C. S. Lewis put it this way, “The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are.” C.H. Spurgeon explains this truth well when he said, “The man who never reads will never be read; he who never quotes will never be quoted. He who will not use the thoughts of other man’s brains proves that he has no brains of his own.”
As you learn to mentor those on whom you have an impact, be prepared for the opportunities that God may bring your way. As James, the half-brother of Jesus explained in his letter Chapter 5:19-20, “My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back from wandering will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.”
As you seek out opportunities in everyday life, events to provide guidance to your children, grandchildren, and others always be willing and ready to learn yourself so you can become even wiser. John Maxwell said it well, “You can’t light another’s path without casting light on your own.”
With these thoughts in mind, we will conclude our trek for today and close Gramps’ backpack. Before I do, I will pass the tool of guidance onto you. Once you have this tool in your backpack, it is up to you to use it to provide guidance to your children, grandchildren, or anyone else that you have the opportunity to impact.
Next Monday we will investigate the fourth tool in Gramps’ backpack, which is Courage. On tomorrow’s trek, we will explore another wisdom quote. This 3-minute wisdom supplement will assist you in becoming healthy, wealthy, and wise each day. Thank you for joining me on this trek called life. Encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. If you would like to listen to any of the past daily treks or read the daily journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com.
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 of life 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!