SHARED IGNORANGE

This will be a short post, but I wanted to quickly share something interesting that happened yesterday. I had the opportunity, or maybe I should say misfortune, of going to a ministerial alliance luncheon yesterday. It wasn't all bad, but just seemed a bit pointless to me. The lunch consisted of ministers from all sorts of Christian denominations; Catholic, Episcopalian, Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, Church of God, etc. As you can imagine, there was quite a variety of beliefs and ministry styles represented at this meeting. I was there to help plan a community wide thanksgiving service. At one point during the meeting, the chairman said a striking statement that I have heard before, but to hear it from a minister struck me as bold and overwhelmingly honest. In regards to benevolence, and helping people in need, he said "It is hard to know the human heart". This was said about trying to identify if a persons needs are legit, or if the person is just looking for money to spend inappropriately. He said "It is hard to know the human heart. It's hard to know my own heart a lot of times. Sometimes I think I'd rather go back to be a paper salesman." I'll overlook the obvious reference to The Office that could be made here, and just say how much I appreciate a minister saying that very statement. It IS hard to know the human heart....nearly impossible to know someone else's, and almost as impossible to know my own. To know what my heart really wants, to know where my deepest heart of heart's allegiance lies, it is the mystery of all mysteries sometimes. But then there are those redeeming moments when you feel the deepest desire of your heart bleed through.

The Bible is right when it says "The heart is deceitful above all things, who can know it?"