Can you please just tell me what I want to hear? Puh-lease?!? I’ve already given at least 5 seconds of thought to this. Clearly I know what I’m doing. So when I ask for your opinion, you are supposed to understand that ‘your opinion’ is code for ‘just sign off on this.’
I do this mostly with my wife, Jennifer. After being married for almost 15 years, I figured she understood the code. (I say ‘almost 15’ even though we just celebrated 14 a month and a half ago. I think 15 sounds more impressive.) Despite our many years together, she doesn’t understand the code. She insists on giving me her true thoughts, much like Brainy Smurf reminding the other Smurfs of what Papa Smurf always said.
But, much like the other Smurfs, I do what I want. This inevitably leads to any number of conversations that end with Jennifer saying, ‘I told you so.’ Supposedly she doesn’t find great thrill in that. I’m not so sure. Predictably she’ll remind me of when I originally asked for her opinion. Geesh! Some women clearly don’t understand communication.
This reminds me of the boys in Jeremiah 42. I already discussed Jeremiah 42 here. Without retelling the entire story, let’s just say that the boys, some army guys go up to Jeremiah to ask for prayer. They want God’s opinion on their next move.
Jeremiah doesn’t understand the code anymore than Jennifer does. He actually gets God’s opinion. It turns out that God knows what the army guys want to do and He wants them to do something different. In fact, God goes so far as to describe in detail what bad things will happen if they carry out their plan.
They do what they want anyway.
Does this sound like any child, teen or adult you've ever worked with? Why? What do people say to deceive themselves? It seems to me that people can hear about consequences but answer with the following.
~That person must be jealous of my great idea.
Never mind that we respect them enough to seek their approval. Never mind that they may actually make a good point. Somehow, someway, they are jealous.
~It can't happen to me.
I think it was when I had my first child that the possibilities of every harmful or dangerous thing in this world first entered my mind. I’d thought of death, but that was clearly reserved for people that weren’t me. Storm warnings? No, this storm will die before it comes near my home. Car accident? Nope, I know how to drive.
Warnings are clearly a waste of your breath because of my imperviousness to any harm. What? I’m not impervious? Oh.
~It'll be different when I do this.
Yes, I know that 10 guys just jumped off a diving board into a pool with no water. Yes, I can see they all have broken arms and legs. Yes, I am still going to jump. Why? Because I will land differently.
~Maybe God is kidding.
Ok, maybe they don't say this. But the people of Judah were clearly not taking God's words seriously.
Do you?
I do this mostly with my wife, Jennifer. After being married for almost 15 years, I figured she understood the code. (I say ‘almost 15’ even though we just celebrated 14 a month and a half ago. I think 15 sounds more impressive.) Despite our many years together, she doesn’t understand the code. She insists on giving me her true thoughts, much like Brainy Smurf reminding the other Smurfs of what Papa Smurf always said.
But, much like the other Smurfs, I do what I want. This inevitably leads to any number of conversations that end with Jennifer saying, ‘I told you so.’ Supposedly she doesn’t find great thrill in that. I’m not so sure. Predictably she’ll remind me of when I originally asked for her opinion. Geesh! Some women clearly don’t understand communication.
This reminds me of the boys in Jeremiah 42. I already discussed Jeremiah 42 here. Without retelling the entire story, let’s just say that the boys, some army guys go up to Jeremiah to ask for prayer. They want God’s opinion on their next move.
Jeremiah doesn’t understand the code anymore than Jennifer does. He actually gets God’s opinion. It turns out that God knows what the army guys want to do and He wants them to do something different. In fact, God goes so far as to describe in detail what bad things will happen if they carry out their plan.
They do what they want anyway.
Does this sound like any child, teen or adult you've ever worked with? Why? What do people say to deceive themselves? It seems to me that people can hear about consequences but answer with the following.
~That person must be jealous of my great idea.
Never mind that we respect them enough to seek their approval. Never mind that they may actually make a good point. Somehow, someway, they are jealous.
~It can't happen to me.
I think it was when I had my first child that the possibilities of every harmful or dangerous thing in this world first entered my mind. I’d thought of death, but that was clearly reserved for people that weren’t me. Storm warnings? No, this storm will die before it comes near my home. Car accident? Nope, I know how to drive.
Warnings are clearly a waste of your breath because of my imperviousness to any harm. What? I’m not impervious? Oh.
~It'll be different when I do this.
Yes, I know that 10 guys just jumped off a diving board into a pool with no water. Yes, I can see they all have broken arms and legs. Yes, I am still going to jump. Why? Because I will land differently.
~Maybe God is kidding.
Ok, maybe they don't say this. But the people of Judah were clearly not taking God's words seriously.
Do you?
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