Why Experts get No Listeners

I was recently reading a really excellent article by an economist lately which was far better than most economic articles I've read. I was struck as a realized the article was probably far less read than most of the prevalent economic drivel on the Internet.

I realized that the issue was that the article was too instructive. We want quick fixes. We want to know is the market going up tomorrow or not. We want to know how to make money.

We aren't really interested as a group in underlying economic currents and really understanding. All human action is motivated action.

And as humans our shortsightedness draws us away from a acquisition of knowledge and wisdom. Often we need to slow down in life.

The path to true knowledge in most fields is long and hard. The short cut to "easy answers" in life often gives us know answers.

Often we never learn because we do not have the humility to admit that learning takes time. We imagine we may sit down in and afternoon and master a topic.

True learning takes time, humility, and patience. There are no short cuts. No quick solutions.

We meet ourselves when we seek to learn. Our impatience, our shortsightedness, and our pride.

The great failure of mankind is learners is because the bible is right about the nature of man. The bible does not paint a pleasant picture of the nature of mankind, but it paints an honest picture.

And to that honest picture the bible gives a glorious solution of a the free offer of grace for all who will come to Jesus.

Approaching Goal Setting and Planning

If we're told in the Bible not to worry about tomorrow, and that God is in control of everything, then where is the place for setting goals for tomorrow and in the distant future? Planning for the future is good, but we need to have the right mindset, one that is willing to be flexible and adjust with circumstances.

We can't see the future or all the details of a situation, so we have to make plans based on our limited view of things at times. For example, we can't always predict the economy or the weather. So it may turn out that a goal or plan won't be accomplished the way we'd like it to be or we might have to give up a goal or plan we had.

The good news is God has a view of everything and is an all-powerful God. So it's really in his hands. It can be humbling and hard when our plans aren't met because it doesn't match what God allows to happen. But that's when it's time to acknowledge God's goodness and that, since he is good, what has passed is working toward a glorious plan that God has for our lives and for his glory.

The good part of goal setting and planning is it's something to aim for, and it helps us to aim to do what we feel matters the most. Sometimes we can focus on one thing so much that we forget other things we wanted to focus on, so a list written down or in our head may help us to remember.

Sometimes we have to wait on a plan we have, and while we wait, we can be reminded of the other things that are goals--or things we find that are worthwhile and fun to do that we wrote down in the past.

We need to be humble and know that we aren't perfect and therefore our plans aren't either. It's fine since we can't see everything and we are growing and learning, but when we see any flaws in a goal or plan, then it's good and wise to adjust or let go of certain goals and not be hard on ourself.

Endless Questions

Post by
Michelle Dowell, Contributor

One way questions are used in a way that is more harmful than helpful in theology is when they are endless.

After asking questions, at some point a person needs to come to a conclusion or take the information they have found and for that day decide what they themselves believe on the topic, even if it's that there isn't much knowledge on the topic.

It's impossible for a person to truly think about things if he or she is only ever asking for someone else's opinion or researching. That person needs to think about the facts and make a decision, even if it's one that isn't popular. It takes courage sometimes to stop asking questions and instead believe or make a choice.

And often people who keep asking the same questions over and over again in different forms are not comfortable with the fact that life is not perfect and we, as humans, won't be able to answer every question. (1 Corinthians 13:12 )

We need to have faith that even though we don't know everything, God does. And that's all that matters. Questions are great but when we can't find the answers after searching and thinking, we need to decide that it's okay.

Something we don't understand today might make sense later. We are going through the process of sanctification, which means that over time we are growing in the faith. There are so many things to learn and improve on in this life, and little by little we are growing and learning as God shows us and teaches us in various ways around us. In the meantime, we may need to be patient.