As I was lying in bed this morning, trying to avoid guilt-ing myself into getting up, I decided I’d feel better if I used my reclining time constructively; I began to ponder all the directions I could go with today’s blog. Having options was not the problem, but rather choosing one that struck a chord and went beyond a mere mechanical recording of thought. Writing for the sake of writing is a good exercise, but less motivating than writing in hope of connecting with people.The longer I laid there flexing my mental muscle, the more my interest in writing atrophied. I was getting nowhere fast—on any front. I sensed a break in the inaction might prove helpful; I headed to the kitchen for my morning coffee.
As my feet moved in the direction of the floor, my attention was drawn, without explanation, to a popular three letter acronym: IDK…hmmm, what was that all IDK—I don’t know--maybe it was merely a subconscious reaction to the writing-subject indecision in which I was currently embroiled. If nothing else, it was accurate; after my trip to the kitchen for my hot beverage, I truly did not know where my writer persona was headed. I decided that IDK was as good a starting point as any, and I sat down at my computer to begin.
As much as I am not a fan of the dismissive response, “whatever,” my husband finds “IDK” equally distasteful—at least when a question directed to me elicits that particular response. “What do you mean you don’t know what time the kids are coming home?” “Why don’t you know the best way to get there?” “How can you not know how long it is going to take?” In contrast to my husband, I am quite comfortable with IDK; I naturally prefer the “fly by the seat of your pants” navigation system; for me, as long as I’m moving in the general direction desired, IDK is a perfectly acceptable flight plan. Hubby prefers to have a few more details nailed down and then cast in stone—less room for error, he figures. To my husband, unknowns are anxiety-producing; flexibility too often translates into inconvenience, wasted effort, and uncertain outcomes.
My husband is a strict Point A to Point B kind of guy; the road best traveled between two points is that which requires the fewest turns and is easiest to remember. My chosen route varies from trip to trip—sometimes I choose the scenic route, at others the shortest or fastest. He focuses on getting to the destination; I have one eye on the destination, and the other on opportunities for experiences along the way. Over the years we have learned to reconcile our differences in strategy and perspective: different is not right or wrong, it’s just different. Through Christ man is reconciled to God, however, the truth, “God is God, and we are not,” poses some inherent challenges when it comes to making adjustments in our human perspective.
I mulled over how frequently the answer “IDK” escapes from our lips or flows through our texting fingers; we accept it as a normal part of communication, with an implicit “TBD” (to be determined) understanding satisfying us in the interim. We do not parlay this attitude well into our relationship with God. As believers, we do not like living with the IDK factor in our daily baskets as part and parcel of our relationship with Him. We want to know--and are uncomfortable not knowing what want to know—for ourselves. God knows the beginning and the end of all things; He has revealed Himself and His love to us. Should we not feel absolutely secure and rest fully assured in His complete knowledge of the world and every living thing? Yet, our actions belie our reluctance to trust Him with our lives and in daily activities.
By all reckoning, my husband should be overjoyed that one thing he will never hear from God is “IDK,” because there is nothing God does not know; trusting Him is foolproof. Likewise, I should find it easy to trust in a Heavenly Father who establishes me in the way, as He sees fit to direct my steps, from the starting block to the finish line, regardless of the number of detours, challenging roads, and perilous conditions I encounter. Yet our desires and expectations to elicit others’ trust in us, and to invest our trust in others, are often far greater than our willingness to depend on God to be sufficient and give us sufficiency for every need and circumstance in our lives. We serve a very patient, long-suffering, and incredibly merciful God!
“Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. Ps.37:4
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