Does Anyone Know for Sure?
A guy texted me the other day and asked, “What does IDK stand for?” So I texted back and said, “I don’t know.” He shot right back and exclaimed, “OMG! NOBODY DOES!”
I’m not exactly sure, but I’m thinking this is a case of not being able to see the forest for the trees. It was quite funny when it happened, but I’ve been on the other end of these situations, and it can be rather embarrassing. 
It points up a problem that many of us have (at least I hope I’m not the only one—misery loves company, you know). I get so focused on some things that I can’t see any of the peripheral details. Being hyper-focused like that can be dangerous.
For one thing, it causes me to assume (and you know what happens when we assume). I assume everyone else knows what I know, sees what I see, understands what I understand, and totally gets me. That’s otherwise known as thinking everyone can read my mind. It leads to a lack of communication. Since I think all around me are on the same page (MY page), I don’t shell out enough detail for the other folks to actually get on the same page with me.
“Introverted preachers are the worst kind.”
Add that to the fact that I don’t like to talk much (introverted preachers are the worst kind), and we have a recipe for disaster. I’ve gotten into a lot of trouble over the years for this kind of behavior (or should I say, non-behavior). At any rate, I’ve been known to make an ass-out-of-u-and-me.
There is no better example of this than what I do to my beloved bride. I always assume I’ve told her everything when, in fact, I’ve told her next to nothing. For some reason, my brain tells me, “Since I’ve thought it, I must have said it.” My poor wife has learned more personal things during my Sunday sermons than she has in our living room. It’s a truly embarrassing problem—and one I have never quite been able to overcome.
“Assume no one knows anything.”
The best way to overcome this malady, I’m sure, is to assume the exact opposite. That is to say, assume no one knows anything. That, of course, is dangerous as well; but it’s often called “erring on the side of caution.” Any caution I’ve ever had in this area has long been thrown to the wind. Heaven help me.
Interestingly enough, I’ve often been applauded for my brevity. People like that because it doesn’t take up too much of their time. While that seems like a good goal, it often falls far short of my unstated intentions.
I’ve said all this to say, “Leave no stone unturned.” As one who has oft worked in the rocky soil of Virginia, that old saying leaves me cold. But as one who finds himself in hot water, I must attempt to adopt it forthwith.
As it says in Holy Scripture, “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.”
[Dave Zuchelli is a graduate of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and is currently the pastor of Smith Chapel, in Great Falls, VA.]
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