Saturday, August 28, 2010

Ignorance Is Bliss by Tami Gilman

My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.
Hosea 4:6


I am still processing the information from a documentary I watched called “Food Inc.” It exposes disturbing facts regarding the food industry. There is corruption, deception and greed from corporations to various levels of government, which affect the food source for the United States and the world. I don’t believe the realization of chemically engineered or unhealthy food is a new concept, but choosing to ignore the knowledge of what we consume is irresponsible.

Let’s face it, ignorance is bliss. It really is because when you know the truth about something, you are responsible for what you do with that truth. And who wants to be responsible anyway?

Right now I have a choice to make. I now have knowledge of how food is processed, enhanced and altered to be appealing and affordable. What am I going to do with this information? Today, I am going hungry because I am so disturbed by this newfound knowledge. Tomorrow I intend to change my eating habits. I will also share this with my friends and it will be their choice as to what to do with it. I am not responsible for their choices and I will not force my opinions on them. What I am responsible for is sharing the knowledge I have and allowing them to respond or not.

Everyone is responsible for their own choices. Often, we make choices without considering the consequences of our actions. Honestly, I think most of us want to do what we want and expect grace in return. Then, we may get mad at God for not changing our circumstances. I have been guilty of this and I believe most people are to some extent. It’s easy to excuse ourselves by saying, “Well, I didn’t know that” or “Nobody told me.” That way, you shift the blame off yourself. Who is “nobody” anyway?

I suspect many Christians don’t really dig in to reading the Bible because they are afraid of the truth. If we really knew what the Bible says, we would be responsible for applying it to our lives and be accountable for our actions. I am guilty of this too. I have even taken it one step further and not asked God specific questions about the direction of my life. I figure I’m not being rebellious by intentionally disobeying God because I’m not asking. That in itself is being intentionally rebellious and I am manipulating my relationship with Him. This is something I have to continually be aware of and change.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6) applies to every area of our lives. If we don’t learn proper nutrition, we become unhealthy. If we think frivolous spending is our right, we become overwhelmed with debt. If we think spiritual warfare doesn’t exist, we can be physically, emotionally and spiritually destroyed and will look to a pill to correct it.

I believe the same can be said for salvation. For some people, it is not accepted for lack of knowledge, for others it’s a lack of obedience. Our responsibility as Christians is to speak biblical truth and live our lives in a way that models that truth. The rest is up to the individual and the work of the Holy Spirit. Let’s not be blissfully ignorant, but joyfully informed.

1 comments:

jan darnell said...

So much wisdom in this piece...so much truth! Thanks Tami, jan