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Ignorance is Bliss?

They say that ignorance is bliss. Even Solomon, this wisest of all guys, ranked the ignorant as being better off. Yeah, in one of his more cheery moments, Solomon said the dead are better off than the living, but even better than that is not even being born. (Ecclesiastes 4:2-3)

life's dirty little secret

I guess that makes sense. There's experiencing the darkest stuff in life. There's remembering it. Then there's not ever actually knowing about it. Isn't this why we try and protect our children for so long?

The problem is this is not the entire story. With much respect to the wise King Solomon, he probably should have paid a bit more attention to his dear old dad, David. In a Psalm that is better known for the actions he was apologizing for than for anything else, David made a very intriguing statement.

In Psalm 51, in the midst of wanting to be purified, forgiven and restored, he also said this;

"For I recognize my rebellion..." Psalm 51:3a

Ok, let's not sugarcoat this. He did some very bad things. Then he concealed those things. Then a prophet of God called him out. But it's a curious thing when we get caught with our hands in the cookie jar. Some continue to deny. Others will run to more rebellion. Still others might try to move past it too quick and get appearances back to what they were.

But David, this guy who connected with God on a deep level, decided to confess, admit and recognize. Not only that, but he added this;

"it haunts me day and night" (Psalm 51:3b).

He then goes on to discuss how it's only against God that he sinned, though I imagine Uriah's family may have something to say about that. (See 2 Samuel 11 for the whole story.) But David properly recognized what was really going on in the world, and in his decisions.

Guess what? Ignorance is not bliss. It's time we recognize.
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