1553) Sometimes in life I find myself being sucked into a vortex of emotion. I have lived inside my skin long enough to know that during this swirling, making important decisions isn’t prudent.

For example, when someone does or says something to me and I experience a surge of emotion, it’s probably good to let this dissipate a little before I act.

Some situations involve more than just the minor irritations of life. These types of things involved times when someone has crossed one of my personal boundaries. Because I’m not very good at responding to these events, the advice of Proverbs 20:18 is helpful.

Here, we read (my words) we shouldn’t go to war without wise council. This type of advice is not there so we can have someone agree with or justify our reactions. Instead, the verse is showing us the benefit of talking the situation over with someone we respect. This will accomplish two things. First, we help ourselves decompress in the telling of our story. Second, it’s helpful to see the situation with the fresh eyes of the wise; a view we may not have considered.

If you’re going to war, having good council is vital.