Sirach 37:12-15. Stay with a godly man who you know to be a keeper of the commandments, whose soul is in accordance with your soul, and who will sorrow with you when you fail. Establish also the counsel of your own heart, for no other person is as faithful to you as your own heart. Sometimes a man's own soul keeps him better informed than seven watchmen on a high watchtower. Finally, always pray to the Most High, "that he may direct your way in truth."

This is perfect for me today! I have been spending so much time in my own head lately trying to figure out so many things, including how, and how much, to rebuild broken relationships. The people that I want to be in relationship with are not living in the truth in all matters. And they are not seeking the truth, frankly they don't even want to hear it. This has led them to hurt me by lying to me and about me, cursing me, excluding me, etc., all because they are clinging to the lies that the world is telling them and they do not want to hear what I have to say. I am not saying that I know with 100% certainty what the truth is, only God does, but I am at least trying to follow the commandments and stay in communion with God. I know when I am being lied to, and expect the people I love to be established enough in the truth that they can see they are being massively lied to as well, but they do not and do not want to know. In short, the people that I am concerned about are not trying to keep the commandments and will not sorrow with me when I fail to, but rather, I sense, will take a little bit of pleasure in my failure. So while I can build some kind of relationship back with them eventually, I cannot look to them for real friendship or good counsel. Sirach here tells me the kinds of friends to look for, and God has given me those kinds of friends, even as I have been losing the others.

After friendship, Sirach tells me to also look to the counsel of my own heart, and that often my own soul will inform me better than the people around me (or even the watchers on the watchtower!). I have found this to be so true! When I am really trying to discern God's will and walk in his paths, I often get hunches or feelings or even messages that contradict what the media, my friends, my family, and the whole world is telling me. This is my soul informing me of the truth. I feel it with such certainty that I know that, for me, at least, I must listen to my heart.

Finally, Sirach says, above all pray to God. Yes, that really is the most important step! It is only by putting him first and really trying to discern his will, while opening our hearts and souls to the Holy Spirit to guide us, that we truly can learn what it is we are to do. In fact, I think that these three suggestions are in reverse order - we should first look to God, then to our open and discerning hearts and souls, and then to good and holy friends for good counsel.