Some people
prefer not
to know
what's going
on, because
information
might bring
obligation.
?What you
don't know
can't hurt
you, says
the old
adage; but
is it true?
In a letter
to a Mrs.
Foote, Mark
Twain wrote,
All you need
in this life
is ignorance
and
confidence;
then success
is sure. But
what we
don't know
could hurt
us a great
deal! There
are people
in the
cemetery who
chose not to
know the
truth. The
slogan for
the 1987
AIDS
publicity
campaign was
Don't die of
ignorance;
and that
slogan can
be applied
to many
areas of
life besides
health.
Nehemiah asked about Jerusalem and the Jews living there because he had a caring heart. When we truly care about people, we want the facts, no matter how painful they may be. Practical politics consists in ignoring facts, American historian Henry Adams said; but Aldous Huxley said, Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored. Closing our eyes and ears to the truth could be the first step toward tragedy for ourselves as well as for others.
Are we like Nehemiah, anxious to know the truth even about the worst situations? Is our interest born of concern or idle curiosity? When we read missionary prayer letters, the news in religious periodicals, or even our church's ministry reports, do we want the facts, and do the facts burden us? Are we the kind of people who care enough to ask?
Think about it: "Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others" (Phil. 2:4, niv).
Read: Nehemiah 1
Action assignment: Do you know someone who is experiencing hardships? Until now you haven't done much more than pray for that person. Talk to God about the matter. Determine to do something for that person. Even a phone call is a starter.
Nehemiah asked about Jerusalem and the Jews living there because he had a caring heart. When we truly care about people, we want the facts, no matter how painful they may be. Practical politics consists in ignoring facts, American historian Henry Adams said; but Aldous Huxley said, Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored. Closing our eyes and ears to the truth could be the first step toward tragedy for ourselves as well as for others.
Are we like Nehemiah, anxious to know the truth even about the worst situations? Is our interest born of concern or idle curiosity? When we read missionary prayer letters, the news in religious periodicals, or even our church's ministry reports, do we want the facts, and do the facts burden us? Are we the kind of people who care enough to ask?
Think about it: "Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others" (Phil. 2:4, niv).
Read: Nehemiah 1
Action assignment: Do you know someone who is experiencing hardships? Until now you haven't done much more than pray for that person. Talk to God about the matter. Determine to do something for that person. Even a phone call is a starter.