Another Journal Throwback – Knowledge is Power Part I

Here is part 1 of 2 of an unedited journal entry I wrote years ago. Geesh, I need to read this everyday!

August 7, 2006

It’s amazing the gap between how much we think we know and how much we actually do know.

I’m learning that’s it’s becoming increasingly important to be up on as much as you can for both spiritual and natural reasons. First, the spiritual.

As Christians, we don’t do half as much research as we should when making decisions.  I’m just starting to realize the importance of seeking God’s guidance in each and everything we do.  Do you know how much trouble we could avoid by taking the time to first get guidance from God and then doing even the tiniest bit of research on things before we make oh so important decisions?  We often choose a mate without first consulting God and getting to know about the person (this is why I feel pre-marriage counseling is so important), we make career decisions without first finding out what God wants us to do.  In the spiritual realm, the bible is our research tool.  Many of the answers we need are right there for us to see but because we lack the spiritual ammunition to find the answer we need we go into a situation blindly, only to have the answer retorted later when our decisions have already gotten the best of us.  Hindsight is 20/20 and we find ourselves to often saying if I would have known that then I would’ve……  Remember, the bible is a tool there to help and lead our paths as we partake in this Christian walk.  It is our number one source for research before making any decision.

In the natural, we get ourselves into so many sticky diversions that we waste at least a quarter of our lifetime recovering from costly mistakes.  Our credit being one.  How many of us were so excited about being approved for anything but refused to take the initiative to find out just how much credit would affect our lives.  Time is money.  That’s why too often we don’t take the time to get the information we need to make informed decisions.  We get the birds eye view of a situation and make snappy, often, perilous decisions.  I had no idea how much research should go into buying your first home, IF you want to do it right.  Same thing goes for starting a business, sending your child to school, or even purchasing a cell phone.  Now we simply don’t have the time to meticulously research each and every thing in our lives but we need to realize how important being aware is.  Bottom line is, assess what’s important and take the time to increase your knowledge and understanding in that area, whether it be joining an organization or buying your first home.  Take the time to KNOW what your getting yourself into.  If you don’t have the time you can do one of two things; either pay someone else to spend their time researching it for you or hold off on making rather important decisions.  If we don’t have the time to research, we certainly don’t have the time to get ourselves out of a potentially costly mistake.  In the words of G.I Joe:  Knowing is half the battle.