I have a friend who recently took a standardized test and received a perfect score in the math section. That’s not supposed to happen. If one receives a perfect score that means the person was not tested to his limits. We don’t know how much more he knows. Maybe he only knows a little bit more or perhaps he knows a whole lot more. There are many human developmentalists who believe the only way we learn is by actively confronting things we don’t know. Things we don’t know challenge us to learn and the more we learn the more we grow. The more we grow the more capable we are of service. The more service we can provide the more complete and happy will be our lives.
Failure to know something is an avenue to an expanded and more fruitful life; that is if we travel “up” that avenue and learn. Please note I said travel “up” because there are certain things we are much better off not knowing. Eve did not know the sorrow of death and suffering until she ate the fruit and learned. She went “down” that avenue. Not all things are good to know.
Psalm 1:1 is a great text for all of us to memorize. It describes the progression of sin. “Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.” As we move through life we cannot avoid walking past things that are harmful. The secret to happiness and growth is to keep on walking and not stop and look at it. Confronting that which we don’t know can be a growth experience or a disaster. It’s our choice.
Written by Roger Bothwell on November 4, 2010
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org