The Advice They Give

 

Have you ever really paid attention to the advice people give you?

When was the last time you were out with your girls, chatting it up, and you mentioned a situation in your relationship, only to be met with advice that made you pause?
It sounded good, but deep down… something was off.

Maybe you’ve opened up to a friend about the toxic relationship you were finally escaping, and she advised you to stay because “at least he pays all the bills.”
Or maybe a relative told you, “A man will be a man,” while his betrayal was destroying you emotionally.

And let’s not forget the advice from certain religious leaders that has kept women stagnant for decades, never empowering them to rise, only teaching them to stay low, silent, and humble, even when their spirit was dying inside.

Seriously, pay attention to what people are saying to you.

A lot of the time, the advice people give reveals more about their mindset, their hidden feelings about you, or their need for control than it does about your situation.

Because let’s be real: it’s not always safe to open up. Too often, instead of bandaging your wounds, people exploit them. They’ll use your vulnerability to guide you into a position even worse than theirs.

Family, friends, co-workers, even neighbors, you’d be surprised how envy and fake concern can exist in the same breath. They can smile, sound wise, even sound spiritual, all while forming a weapon with their words to keep you small or take you down.

And here’s what I’ve learned: taking advice from someone who refuses to work on themselves is like picking up a cup and drinking poison.

This is why I often say, “Nobody can tell me anything.”
Some think it sounds arrogant, but it’s not. It’s survival.

Because if we’re real about it, the most unaccountable people always have the most to say. They hide their own chaos behind curated images of “having it all together,” when in reality, their kingdom is falling apart and held together by a single thread.

If you learn nothing else from life, or even from the Bible, learn this: do not covet.
Do not desire anyone else’s life, because you have no idea what they had to sacrifice, steal, or destroy to get it.

I’m not saying every person is malicious. Some are genuine.
But I am saying this: be careful who you eat from, because not every table is safe.

Focus on your own life.
Glow up for you.
Create the life you desire with your own wisdom, your own discernment, and your own connection to God.

Because at the end of the day, no one else has to live your life but you.
And the advice they give?
It speaks volumes if you really listen.