This author, Gordon T. Smith (former faculty at Regent College and lots of other fancy stuff in his bio) shared the following (and plenty more words of wisdom):
*people who free other people*
"In I Thessalonians 4:11 the apostle Paul urges us to make it our ambition to mind our own business. I have a hunch but am not able to prove empirically that discerning people free others to make their own choices -- and 'mind their own business.' It is not that they do not care and are not willing to be generous and helpful. It is merely that they free others to discern for themselves.
Some feel the need to contro others. They are happy to make other people's decisions for them. They feel they are God's gift to those around them, and they have an insatiable desire to 'help.' For some reason, though, when we fail to free others to choose well, we ourselves cannot choose well... The implication is obvious. We need to continually allow others to respond to their own conscience. Running other people's lives undermines our ability to take charge of our own lives and respond fully and freely to the will of God. A helpful rule of thumb might be 'Offer no unsolicited advice.' It is a good way to keep you focused on your own pilgrimage rather than trying to live others' lives for them." (pp. 95-96)
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