“You, Coty, are a bus driver. Keep driving the bus.
“People will board the bus and tell you you’re going the wrong way. But you know the route. Just keep driving the bus.
“Some will threaten to leave the bus unless you go the way they’re telling you. Just keep driving the bus.
“Others will tell you to change gears sooner, or to drive faster, or to speed up to get through that yellow light. Just keep driving the bus.
“You’re a bus driver, Coty. Just keep driving the bus.”
A wise pastor gave me that advice decades ago during a time of difficulty in the church. His advice reflects 1 Corinthians 15:58: “Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” I’ve shared that advice with many others.
But when does steadfastness morph into pig-headedness?
If I’m a bus driver who makes a wrong turn, I had better listen to those who correct me. If I don’t, I’m not being virtuously steadfast; I’m being foolishly pig-headed.
Scripture tells us again and again to seek out and listen to wise counsel:
- Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel (Proverbs 27:9).
- Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed (Proverbs 15:22).
- The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice (Proverbs 12:15)
- Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil (Proverbs 3:7).
That last proverb highlights the difficulty, however. There are wise counselors who help us to turn away from evil, who point us to the Lord. And there are other counselors who guide us in the opposite direction.
Consider Solomon’s son Rehoboam. He actively sought counsel. He received both good and bad advice. He then chose to follow the bad advice – to the detriment of the Israelite people for centuries (1 Kings 12:1-20).
Or consider the Apostle Paul in Acts 21:10-14. He is journeying to Jerusalem. A prophet named Agabus says Paul will be bound by the Jews and handed over to the Romans if he continues. The people there – including his traveling companions like Luke – urge him to change plans. But Paul “would not be persuaded” and continues on his way. Agabus’ prophecy comes about.
Is Paul being wrongly pig-headed or rightly steadfast?
Or consider the earlier “sharp disagreement” between Paul and Barnabas in Acts 15:36-41. Barnabas wants to include Mark on the next missionary journey, but Paul does not since Mark had returned home when the first journey became difficult. Presumably they seek the counsel of other leaders in the Antioch church since we read that Paul and his eventual companion Silas are “commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.” But Paul and Barnabas do not come to an agreement, instead making separate journeys.
Is one of Paul or Barnabas pig-headed here? Are they both?
Scholars and preachers answer those questions differently – but the bottom line is that Scripture doesn’t tell us.
And that lack of clarity is helpful to us. For we all go through similar situations. We don’t want to be stubborn or pig-headed; we know biblically we should seek counsel. And often we are discerning enough to reject evil and foolish counsel. But most often the counsel we receive is mixed.
- A friend relates a personal experience and applies it to our situation. But is it truly comparable?
- Another friend draws on Scripture to address our situation, but the biblical basis for the advice seems weak.
- Yet a different friend confidently and persuasively tells us the best way to deal with the issue, but we’re not sure he fully understands the problem.
In such situations, what do we do?
We pray for ears to hear; we thank our counselors for their advice and assure them we will consider it; we pray for a willingness to change our ways or adapt our plans; we pray for steadfastness in following God and His ways, trusting His sovereign direction as He works all things according to the counsel of His will.
And then we decide. We go forward. We trust God – whether our decision is the best or not. If it turns out to have been the wrong decision, we confess that to God and admit that to the counselors we should have listened to. But we need not live in regret.
You see, always making the right decision is not the key to living the Christian life. The key, rather, is setting your heart to seek the Lord, trusting Him with all your heart. He then builds us up in the most holy faith, conforming us to the likeness of Jesus, and perfects us together with the entire church. Praise Him!
Psalm 78:7-8 helpfully includes both the words “stubborn” and “steadfast.” Older generations are to teach younger generations “that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments; and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.”
There we have it: Not stubbornly going our own direction, failing to listen to God or counselors who pass on His wisdom. Rather, setting our hearts to seek Him steadfastly, keeping our spirits faithful to God and His Word.
At age 70, I can look back and see times of pig-headedness, times when I should have sought out additional counsel – and also times when I followed poor advice. Praise be to the God of all grace that my standing before Him does not depend on perfect obedience!
I encourage you to examine yourself also. If you discern errors, confess and seek forgiveness, if appropriate. Then set your heart to seek the Lord. And know this: everyone who seeks finds.
