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The War Cry | August 18, 2012
Dear Hurting Ears:
Unsolicited advice seems to be an equal-
opportunity activity. Everyone can advise
and be advised. No subject is off limits.
And you don't even have to be asked!
First, consider the situation. Are you re-
peatedly sharing your frustrations regard-
ing a recurring problem that you can't
seem to solve? Does your manner of pre-
senting the situation make others think
you're asking for advice? Are you new
to the situation you're in (bride, mother,
employee, etc)? Does the self-appointed
"advisor" force their advice on you?
Second, consider the source. What is
your relationship with this person? Is this
the dry cleaning person or a store clerk
that you see occasionally but not close
to? Is this someone you work with? Is it
a close family member or friend? Your
relationship with the person makes a dif-
ference as to how you should handle the
constant advice sharing.
Third, consider the motivation. Many are
genuinely offering suggestions to be help-
ful. Maybe they want to spare you some
difficulty or make your life easier. Some are
only being friendly; others may just be ex-
cited about having found something that
works for them. Of course, some people
share for other less altruistic reasons.
Fourth, consider your response before
the advice comes. Depending on all the
factors you've considered, some of these
responses might be helpful: "Thanks. I'll
think about that," or, "I'm glad that works
for you; there are so many ways of doing
things, aren't there?," or, "Thanks, I'm ok.
I'm already looking into a solution."
For those you care about who continue
to thrust their advice on you, a private
gentle talk may be in order, sharing that
you appreciate their concern, but you
would like your relationship to be more
than giving advice. For those you are not
close to, simply avoid being around them,
or find reasons to leave the area should
they ambush you.
Dear Big Deal:
When I told the Editor�in�Chief that I had
selected your question about Heaven to
address, he immediately began smiling and
said, "Just think about the most wonderful
experiences you could ever dream of.
Heaven will be more wonderful than that!"
For him, that "most wonderful experi-
ence" is to soar through the universe,
dropping in on the various planets, aster-
oids and stars. For me, it would be the
ability to hold, play with and be sur-
rounded by animals and wildlife of all
kinds--bunnies, sheep, lion cubs, tigers,
panthers, monkeys, parrots and polar
bears, to name a few. What is your most
wonderful dream? Whatever it is, Heaven
is more wonderful than that!
Perhaps that is one of the reasons that
God has not given us a clearer description
of Heaven and what we will be doing
there. If we knew, it would be difficult to
remain focused on our lives here on earth.
Here's some of what we know. God will
be there. GOD will be there. GOD WILL BE
THERE! We will see Jesus and our Heaven-
ly Father more clearly than ever before.
Precious friends and family members
whose lives were lived for Christ, will be
there.
AUNT SALLY is happy to provide free personal advice and opinion on a variety of subjects.
Need help with relationship problems, spiritual questions, parenting situations?
Ask Aunt Sally!
Send your questions or comments to Aunt Sally via email at [email protected] or by
regular mail at Ask Aunt Sally, Salvation Army Publications, 615 Slaters Lane, Alexandria, VA 22313.
Questions appropriate for printing in the
War Cry will be answered through this column.
Men and women who have been "he-
roes of the faith" down through the ages
will be there. Oh, the times we will have
meeting and talking to them!
Love will be there. A deeper, more ex-
pansive love will be experienced by all.
We shall see each other in our totality.
Here on earth we see the outer shell of
each other. When we see parts of the in-
ner life, it is done with permission. Each
of us govern how much of our private
life, thoughts, hopes and dreams we will
share and with whom. In our new home
in Heaven all will be visible. We will each
see each other in a different light, be-
cause we will see the total person. And
we will look on each other with the
Father's eyes of a deep abiding love.
There will be no tears, no sorrow, no
night, no more pain, no more sickness,
no more death. Poverty will not exist.
There will be no sin or temptation to sin.
No violence, hatred or abuse of any kind.
This is the time that God will reward us
for the manner in which we lived for His
Son, Jesus Christ, while alive on earth.
We will have new incredible bodies with
abilities we can only begin to imagine.
There will be times of singing and wor-
ship and elation and pure joy!
There will be mansions to move into.
How will they be furnished? What will
daily life look like there? We can let our
imagination take flight!
And, friend, there is only one way to
reach Heaven--through Jesus Christ, the
Son of God. If you don't already live for
Him, please give your soul's situation and
future home some serious thought today.
Acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Son of
God. Realize that you are a sinner. Accept
Christ's death as payment for your sin
and make Him the Lord of your life. And
one day, you will see for yourself that
Heaven is the most wonderful place!
Dear Aunt Sally:
What is the best way to handle
someone who wants you to
listen to their unsolicited advice?
-- Hurting Ears
Dear Aunt Sally:
Heaven seems boring. What is
it like?
-- What's the Big Deal ?
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