Just a thought. . .
I’ve been thinking about what it means to know and if I’m not sure about a number of things, I’m sure of this: to know is to be able to help someone to know too.
Now I’m not playing with words, but seriously, I have had my share of teachers who appear before the class and flaunt their knowledge and experiences. Instead of making the theories and ideas easier so that the students can learn, they bring forward a bigger and more complex version so we can be awed. In the end I never learn a thing or rather the only thing I get to learn is how ‘good’ they are. We must be reminded that the knowledge we really have isn’t the one that is flaunted, the knowledge we really have is that which is deep-seated in us working itself out as wisdom for others to see in our lives.
The test that we really know is if we can explain a particular concept to someone who hasn’t heard of it in such a simple way that they understand. That’s the point.
As a Christian, I find there’s always this temptation to make the simple truth of what Jesus has done for every human more complex to those who haven’t heard a thing about it . These days I’m learning to ask myself “Do you really know?”
Cause when I can’t make the complex theologies I hear on the pulpit on Sunday understandable to my colleagues on Monday. . . I don’t really know.
When I can’t make people around me see how Faith is relevant to the daily activities of life . . . I don’t really know.
When I hide behind big words and spiritual clichés to make it look to others that yes I to make use of a good Bible dictionary and concordance. . . I don’t really know.
This is a call for every one of us to resist the temptation to hide behind big words and theologies just as a bad professor hides behind vague theorems and formulas. The test that we really know is that we are able to help another know that which we say we know. In what subtle ways have you been hiding? Do you really Know?
so so true… praying that I am not hiding but letting what I have known deep in my soul of God’s love to come out…Thanks, Dan for sharing you know 🙂
Hello there Soulstops, I’m praying the same here and as simple as it ( to share the message of christ without ambiguity) sounds, it might just be the hardest thing we would allow ourselves to do as humans. Sometimes I find myself wanting to give what I know I have to someone in need of it but I just can’t. And I think when we face this as christians, It’s just a call to trust more and rely more on Jesus so He can help us extract the ‘treasures’ which he has placed in ‘our jars of clay’. Blessings Soulstops 🙂
I love how the early church leaders simply spoke about Christ died, buried and resurrected. ANd usually, that did the trick.
I recently got a book on what makes great ideas stick. And one of the first thing the writer emphasized is finding a common ground and simplicity. We as christians have the best ‘idea’ which is in need of the best presentation to make it stick and somehow without the so much technology, the early church GOT IT! by making it simple. We got to make it simple as it is, Thanks Rupzip 🙂