Journey of the Word

“I don’t know.” Those are three words I don’t like to say.

Silence is awkward, and ignorance is embarrassing. I want to have an answer. So I give one whether I have one or not. I form an opinion on the spot, if need be.

I want to come across as knowledgeable and prepared. If I don’t respond, someone may think I haven’t studied my Bible or that I’m not sure about where I stand or what I believe. They’ll think I don’t know.

May I be honest for a second?

I don’t know.

I don’t know what God is saying to me in every passage.

I don’t know what my response should be.

I don’t know where Laodicea was. Or why Ruth chose to go with Naomi. Or how the battles flow chronologically. Or which relatives belong to whom.

I don’t know three points of application after the first read. Or the fifteenth.

I don’t know why the New Testament quotes and applies the Old Testament in the way that it does.

I don’t know the biblical answer for every contemporary issue Christians face.

I don’t know what Paul’s thorn in the flesh was.

I don’t know who is speaking, when, where, how, or why.

I don’t know if it means A, B, or C.

I don’t know my Bible inside and out.

I don’t know everything there is to know.

That’s good. It means I still live on this earth.

But while I’m waiting for my Home of Perfection, I’m adopting a new plan of action.

When I know? Make sure I know how I know and why I know.

When I think I know? Think again.

When I don’t know? Just say it:

“I don’t know.”

[image credit: pixabay.com, journeyoftheword.com]