The Downside to Knowledge

[image error]I met with a friend recently who was suffering from a crushed spirit. The reason? He was alone. There were few people in his life who were willing to help carry his particular heartfelt burden. My soul ached for him. When we got together to discuss his dilemma, my plan was to offer what I had: compassion and hope. To my disappointment however, he wasn’t interested in either. Instead, he commenced in telling me how his knowledge of the facts around his quandary should be enough to get him through.

Relying on knowledge was his ruin.

I, too, strive for knowledge. I continually weigh knowledge of one subject against another. But I learned years ago never to put all my eggs in the Seeker of Facts basket. There is more than knowledge to strive for—there is also the gift of relationships.

Relationships is the genesis of life. Power. Empathy. Compassion.

Everything revolves around relationships, yet we tend to take them for granted. Had my friend allowed people to enrich his life instead of relying on facts, his situation would be different now. His heart would be lighter and his world would be fuller. More balanced.

Apostle Paul’s words hit me hard as I left my friend. In Philippians 3:8-10, Paul wrote, “I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.“

It’s not knowing about Christ that’s the key, it’s about KNOWING Christ!

Oh, please, listen to others. Reach out to them. Invest in their lives and allow them to be a part of yours.