Encouraging - Success

Successful people, whether in the arena of family, marriage, business, finances, or ministry, know their limits. They understand the value of time. They know when they have ventured beyond the realm of their expertise and experience. They know when it is time to borrow a page out of someone else’s playbook. One of the best things you can do is reject the notion that because people expect you to have all the answers, you must therefore pretend that you do. Being a parent does not mean you know how to be a great parent. Being a husband or wife is not the equivalent of knowing how to have a great marriage. Having a position of responsibility does not ensure that you know everything you need to know to handle that responsibility responsibly. Position does not equal ability. The moment you say, “I do” or have that first child or open that first checking account or start that new business or begin that new relationship is like venturing into a part of town that you are totally unfamiliar with. The ability to drive does not equal the ability to navigate. You need outside assistance. But you need the right outside assistance.

Andy Stanley, The Principle of the Path: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be (Thomas Nelson, Nashville, TN: 2008) 121-122.