reflections on “concealing knowledge”
There are a couple of things that I find amazing about what happens when I teach, be it a Bible study at school or an article here. First, I find that when I start writing about a subject, I see it going on either in my life or all around my life. Second, I get chances to practice what I preach.
When I first read Proverbs 12:23, the verse that got the whole article started, I immediately thought of my plane ride home from Australia. At the time, before a nice guy swapped seats to give me leg room, I was sitting next to a young couple. They looked very much in love and there was a sense of urgency about their time together, as the man was in the military and, if memory serves, he was going to be deployed after they got back. Once we got past the basic small talk, they were quite absorbed in each other. Hey, whatever, right?
A few minutes later, the woman asked a question to her, uh, I don’t know what he was for sure. Let’s say partner. I don’t remember what she asked, though I think it involved one of the provided magazines that I had already flipped through. Point is, I knew the answer. Generally, if I know an answer I’ll butt in and just go for it. But here I decided not to. These guys probably didn’t want to be interrupted by the annoying kid that they’re stuck with, and it was an answer that they were able to find on their own, so I simply held my tongue.
The principle I read over a week later had already been affirmed in my life. Just because I had an answer didn’t mean that I had to give it; different factors came into play. Had the question persisted and had it seemed pertinent, I might have stepped in, but here it would have been intrusive and unnecessary.
I was able to see the principle at work this past weekend as well, where I had two conversations with someone (well, I had many conversations, but these two stick out). One time, their advice and insight was unsolicited and so it kind of irked me, and the second time, it was invited and so I found it to be incredibly satisfying. The content of the person’s insights both times was remarkably similar; the only real difference was that I was willing to listen the second time. This made me more receptive and it made the person’s words stick more.
Just as I see examples of what I teach in real life, I also realize that these lessons are for me just as much as you. When I was recounting my conversation with the nameless person, my girlfriend gently but bluntly pointed out something along the lines of “You’re known to have your say too,” meaning that what I saw wrong in something else exists in my own life. As I accumulate knowledge about anything, I have to constantly be on guard to ensure that what I say doesn’t browbeat people, edify myself, or come at the wrong time.
I don’t know if there’s a real point to this, other than to humanize me and remind everyone that when I write this stuff, I rarely stand from the position of a man who’s been there, done that, conquered that, and demands that unequivocally from you the reader. Usually, I’m simply sharing what I find I hope that we are all able to take these Scriptural principles, apply them to our lives, and grow closer to God as a result.
Cheers,
Brendan
