Don't assume you know it all

Proverbs 3:7 Don't assume you know it all.

I think almost any circumstance I am part of can benefit from this piece of wisdom. Whether in conversations with my family, professional and work situations, or in my activities at church, I in particular need to remember that I don't know it all. Often I'm so full of my own ideas, that I burst out with them, obliterating other people's ideas and even their desire to participate. Then I lose the opportunity to learn from them, to broaden my perspective, to hear some of the many stories outside of my own experience. I have had to work hard to counteract this tendency, to step back so that others can step forward, to appreciate the value to ME of what others have to say, and not simply focus on the excitement and joy I get from my own process of thinking things out.

I think we Christians can benefit also from recognizing that we have much to learn from other's experiences. Too often the voice of Christianity in the culture is strident and all-knowing, leaving no room to invite those outside the fold to share their knowledge and convictions. My Rector often says that the Church is the one institution which exists primarily for those outside its walls; Jesus often spent time with the marginalized of his culture, approaching them with compassion and grace. I'm not suggesting that people put aside their own conviction about their faith, but just to recognize that hitting people over the head with how right we are doesn't invite them to engage with us, that humility about the limits of our knowing is a surer path to real dialogue than a stance that says I've already got everything figured out. And in fact, even as a Christian, even as one who feels a sure conviction about my faith, can I really say that I know the mind of God?

Prayer: Dear God, It's so easy to rest in my own understanding of my faith, and forget that You and Your Ways are as far above me as the potter is above the clay, as the shepherd is above the sheep. Help me keep my own knowing in its proper perspective in the context of Your Unfathomable Being. Amen.