In this life, we hear the sounds, not the symphony. (1)
We never see the whole picture of life. Even in this Information Age of digital technology, scientific discovery, and higher education we only know a fraction of all there is to know.
If you are in the market to buy a new car you can visit on-line and real-time car dealers, research Consumers Report, read on-line reviews, test drive, and crunch all the numbers, but at the end of the day you will never know if you made the best decision.
Buy the Volkswagen and be left wondering if the Ford was the better deal and car, if the VW brought you greater joy, if this and if that … The list of qualifiers goes on and on. You never know.
JP Morgan lost $2 billion and, according to latest reports, may lose up to $9.6 billion on a specific complex trade of credit swaps, derivatives, economic voodoo. Instead another trader out-guessed them and took them to the cleaners.
Our biggest mistakes are made in life when we believe we are hearing the full symphony, rather than a collection of sounds. We listen to a distant drumbeat, add some imaginary notes, compose lyrics, and make a decision. Then we dance to our music, hoping it leads to life.
The Apostle Paul spoke about our blind leap into life:
For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then we shall see face-to-face. (2)
So what should we do when confronted with information over-load in a world where we never see the whole picture. My counsel is to follow the most trustworthy source.
In my life, I have only found one trustworthy source of information and guidance for living. That source is the Bible, the Holy Scriptures of the Christian faith. It provides wisdom sufficient for making any decision you need to make in life.
The Bible is the infallible Word of God. The Bible will never fail you. In my own life, when I have faithfully lived according to the truth of the Bible, my life has gone well. When I have listened to the world’s music or my own, my dance has turned into a limp.
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (3)
+ + +
-
Luther, Martin; Galvin, James C. (2009-05-19). Faith Alone: A Daily Devotional (p. 180). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
-
1 Corinthians 13:12.
-
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Psalm 119:105.
Bread Crumbs - Devotions for Life 