1: a mental grasp: COMPREHENSION
2a: the power of comprehending especially: the capacity to apprehend general relations of
particulars
b: the power to make experience intelligible by
applying concepts and categories
3a: a mutual agreement not formally entered into
but in some degree binding on each side
b: friendly or harmonious relationship
c: an agreement of opinion or feeling: adjustment of
differences.
We want to think that
simply by living our lives and having the various experiences we do that we
will be able to understand the things that are going on around us. I think most of us realize that that is not
the case! There are so many things that
happen in this world for which we simply do not have an explanation and thereby
have no true understanding.
Take for example the
ever-present nature of WAR! We
are not born with the inclination to go to war with someone. We do not simply one day decide that this is
the time for war? War is a learned
activity. We begin by developing a
dislike for some group or nation of people, which leads to our development of a
hatred for them. We then, at some point,
feel that we should make the decision that THEY are not worthy of having
an existence, so we “go to war!”
The truly sad part of this
development is that, when asked, most people will clearly respond with a fear
of war, a real desire never have to participate in such an
activity. Most people will never want to
have a war, but it happens! That’s why
we can say that there is no real understanding to this kind of behavior.
Some people feel that
they have to understand everything! If
they can’t understand it, they will never believe it. Reminds me of the scene in “The Empire
Strikes Back” (1980) when Master Yoda trains Luke Skywalker about the
force. When Luke’s fighter is sunk into
the marsh and he is unable to retrieve it, Master Yoda does. Luke is confused and says: “I don’t believe
it!” Master Yoda replies, “That is why
you failed.” You may want a reminder of
this scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BrcqtC9hhw
There are many things
in this present world in which we live that most of us truly do not understand how
or why these things function as they do, but this does not stop us from using
and gaining benefits from them. A couple
of simply ones: Our automobiles. We get in them and if there is fuel, we drive
off. We rarely give thought to how that
vehicle is functioning, just that it does and we can use it. Also, consider our cell phones. All the unbelievable things they are able to
do for us. How does your phone
work? Most of us have no idea, but using
them is not a problem. We only have to
believe that what these and other marvelous inventions of man claim they will
do, they WILL do, as they have promised. We then have to learn how we are able to
benefit from them even though we have no real understanding of how they are
able to function as they do!
However, in other
situations we still want to completely understand BEFORE we are
willing to believe. The problem is that
there are things that we, as humans, may never fully understand, but we can
still gain benefits from them if we prepare ourselves for them. Consider 1 Corinthians 2:9 from the Bible: “But just as it is written: “Eye
has not seen and ear has not heard, nor have there been conceived in the heart
of man the things that God has prepared for those who love him.””
It always seems to
be our present condition that holds us back from what will truly be the best
conditions every that man will be able to enjoy. When it concerns the power of God, we become
like Luke Skywalker, “I don’t believe it!”
And that is “why we fail!” We’re
only human!
QUOTE TO CONSIDER
"It's difficult to respond with an answer
if you do not understand the question!"
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