“Don’t Be A Smarty Pants”

I guess I must have too much time on my hands because I’m thinking about things that I never had time to think about before. At times I can look in the mirror and see the “fount of wisdom” staring back…. I can begin to pontificate about almost everything. Yet other than my mother, very few ever thought I was a genius. To be honest actually she didn’t think I was a genius either, but I know she loved me anyway.

Pride has a subtle way of wooing us to a distorted view of reality. As we gain a bit of information, it becomes easy to extrapolate this tidbit into some grand theory. Exaggeration is usually a warning sign of this occurring. 

Yet if we’re honest with our self, we recognize that there is so much of reality that we just don’t comprehend. What about the physical universe that surrounds us. Have you seen the incredible pictures from the Webb telescope? NASA describes the James Webb Space Telescope as a giant leap forward in our quest to understand the Universe and our origins. Webb is examining every phase of cosmic history: from the first luminous glows after the Big Bang to the formation of galaxies, stars, and planets to the evolution of our own solar system.”(ref. NASA.gov) Yet even the most brilliant scientists are amazed… what was previously thought known about the universe continues to change. Clearly more information is known, but the implications of this information  is not so clear. Hmmmmmm.

Despite not being a genius (as evidenced by my science grades in college and the testimony of my mother), I’m intrigued by the electromagnetic spectrum. Quick review—- “the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) describes all of the kinds of light, including those the human eye cannot see.” In fact, most of the light in the universe is invisible to our eyes. The light we can see, made up of the individual colors of the rainbow, represents only a very small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. We “see” with our naked eye only the tiniest piece of the EMS…. yet all the rest ….. e.g. radio waves, x-rays, micro waves, gamma rays are there. Woe.

So, what’s the point Dave? The point is “don’t be a big smarty pants” or as they say in France, “Ne soyez pas un grand pantalon intelligent”. Humility is foundational to wisdom. Knowing what we don’t know is key. Do we know something about the universe, about the human body, about life on this planet…. yes we do; it’s amazing what we know. But there’s more we don’t know, than what we do know.  

What’s exciting is that we know someone who does know “everything about everything”. Our loving Father in heaven knows it all. And one day, when we see him, we can ask him all of our questions and enjoy all the wonderful truths we now can only wonder about. That will be very exciting. 

In the meantime let’s remember to trust him, recalling Psalm 37, “Trust in the LORD, and do good; so you will dwell in the land, and enjoy security.Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.” (Ps. 37:3-5) And that is very good news.

P.S. For the sake of full discloser I am not fluent in French, but I am fluent in Google Translator. Adiós.