Knowledge versus Faith

A couple of days ago, I read a post that really got me thinking. The post was on the subject of information and asked the question: Is there too much information available these days?

The combination of the original post and my response prompted a train of thought that continued all day and led down more than one interesting speculative trail.

The most obvious was my own use of information and my unending hunger for more information on specific subjects. Painting, for example. Or writing. If I read something that tells me I need to up the ante in a story, I want to know how. If I then read how to do that, I want to see examples.

When I was learning the Flemish painting technique, I started with basic information, but discovered that I soon wanted more. Every scrap of data leads not to satisfaction of the question, but to a more refined question.

For me personally, one of the reasons is that I want to know everything before I do anything. To some degree, I have failed to hone the ability to digest information slowly, to see how it applies to my work and to make use of it. It’s not the amount of information, in other words. It’s my lack of putting it to use. Sort of like eating chocolates a handful at a time without taking much time to chew or digest them before moving on to the next treat.

That’s not how the Christian has been called to live. The calling itself is an act of faith. We’re not told every little thing about a walk with Christ or a personal relationship with the Heavenly Father or even what’s going to happen to us tomorrow. We are convicted of our need for salvation and asked to accept the gift on faith.

Most of the big things we’ll be called to do will also require faith. Some examples.

If you went to college, did you know everything there was to know about the college life, the classes, and extracurricular activities before you sent in your application? No!

If you’re married, did you know everything there was to know about what living with someone else was going to involve, how to handle money, kids, and work before you said “I do”? Nope. ‘Fraid not.

What about your job? You didn’t go into that fully apprised of the tiniest detail and every possible outcome, did you?

And your family? You still don’t know everything there is to know about raising a successful family no matter how far along the path you are.

When it comes to life in general, we are all walking a path along which we can see only a few steps in the best of times. We don’t know everything. We will never know everything. With or without God, we walk in faith of some kind.

At the end of that long chain of reasoning and pondering, I came to the realization that I’m just as bad as everyone else when it comes to seeking knowledge instead of faith. When I am called to write a particular story, I want to answer every possible question before I start writing. It’s almost as if I think that if I can answer all of my questions, I’ll know I’m really supposed to do the work.

That’s not the way it’s supposed to be. God will provide the answers, but only in His good time. I will know the answers to some questions and quite likely will never know the answers to many of my questions. Even if I do, I probably won’t understand the answers most of the time. But that’s not my job.

My job is to say, Yes, LORD, when He asks me to do something.

If I’m properly in tune, the response will be immediate, too. Without any questions.