The boys in my family want to know all of the
details, all of the time.
Neither likes to miss anything. They like to know what happened, what’s going
on now, and what will happen. And they
ask questions. Questions about the
details. The questions, people. They are real, and they are many.
I am not like this.
No news is good news. Spare me
the details. I’d rather not know. Only tell me if necessary. I think this stems from a) having endless
questions hurled at me since becoming a mom, b) the limitless quantity of information
in the world, and c) my desire to not be in charge of all the details.
I’m burned out on details.
I’ve been on the receiving end of a lot of
conversations that go like this: “I have something to tell you, but it’s a
secret, so you can’t tell anybody, but there’s this person, and I can’t tell you
who it is, but they did something, and I can’t tell you what they did, but it
was bad. Very, very, bad. And we need to talk about it.”
And that, friends, is the worst. In my mind I am filling in the blanks of
whatever story you’re trying not to tell me, and let me tell you, those details
are much more graphic and depraved than anything you’re trying to keep secret.
So don’t tell me.
I don’t want to know.
As a result, I miss a lot.
And that’s okay.
I’m a simple girl. I can count on
my fingers the amount of things I do every day.
I like to see empty spaces on the calendar. I like to have big, open areas in the day to
fill in when the time comes. Or not, if
need be.
I only have a vague idea about what's in the news. I hear chatter about things in the
world, like sextraffickingweatherpatternswarstrifeextremistgroupsviolenceracerelationschildrendyingdiseasepovertyhatecrimesrecessioncorruption
and I know I have missed a lot of what most people
think are important because I don’t pay attention to the details about The Issues. The World Events. The Way Things Are Going.
Am I an avoider?
Maybe. Ignorant? Sure.
I’m not trying to justify my way as everyone’s right way. I’m just letting you know: I’m okay with not
knowing all the details, of missing some things. I can’t be bogged down in the details – they keep
my focus away from the important stuff.
Love God and love your neighbors as you love
yourself – this is the way to heaven, says Jesus. I love that Jesus really knows how to get to
the point. When we remember these things,
we are ready for whatever the world can throw at us. He doesn’t promise that it will be easy, or
that we won’t suffer, or that we may doubt his ways and dig in our heels and
refuse to go on, but if we keep these simple instructions in mind, we can face
anything. When I put my trust in him,
and let him lead me into the unknown, I know that I am doing
exactly what he planned – not what I plan.
When I live my life according to details, I miss the
lessons that God has for me. Life gets
in the way of my focus on him, and I’ve learned from experience that I can’t
really live like that. I miss too much
of what’s important.
And I can’t risk that. Not for all the details in the world.
*******
Now concerning how and when all this will
happen, dear brothers and sisters, we don’t really need to write you. For you know
quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a
thief in the night. When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful
and secure,” then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s
labor pains begin. And there will be no escape.
But you aren’t in the dark about these things,
dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord
comes like a thief. For you are all
children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. So be on
your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. Night is the
time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk. But let us
who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love,
and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.
For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus
Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. Christ died
for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with
him forever. So encourage each other and build each other up,
just as you are already doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 (NLT)
***
One day an expert in religious law stood up to
test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit
eternal life?”
Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?”
The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all
your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as
yourself.’”
“Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!” Luke 10:25-28 (NLT)
The Coach Factory is passionate about this issue too. :)
ReplyDeleteI think for me I like to have the details and I have to make sure that it's not gossiping like choice morsels, but rather knowing how I can help and what to pray for. You are wise to choose ignorance.
Ah, that Coach factory! They love my blogs. Little do they know that I am not interested.
DeleteI'm okay with people telling me to pray for a person because of a specific reason - I don't need all the details, but a simple "she's ill/going through a divorce/fighting with her BFF" will suffice. It's the "Please pray for so-and-so because she's going through something totally horrific but I can't tell you what it is" that I can't stand. It's not gossip if it's true. It's almost more gossipy when people frame situations like this.