Read Ecclesiastes 7:8, 11-12

"The end of a matter is better than its beginning." That makes sense, doesn't it? 

You see, the end of a matter is maximum reality. Those little idealistic dreams have ended. The whole truth is on display.... The complete picture has developed. Once we reach the end, we know the whole story, and that is better than the beginning of a matter where desires lack substance.

I had a grandfather tell me recently that he plans to record a lot of his thoughts because, he said, "I don't know how long I'm gonna live and I don't know how long I'll have my mind, so I'm gonna record some important counsel and let my grandchildren listen to it later on."

The most influential man in my life was my mother's father. I can still hear his wise counsel. Such counsel is better than most advice given to a child because it is end-of-the-matter information coming from one who has been seasoned with wisdom.

Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, Wisdom for the Way (Nashville: J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2001). Copyright © 2001 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.