Knowledge is Power...Maybe by Ella Kimbrel
One Friday I was attending a required training event. The topic of this training was related to the DISC profile, a program in which I am certified to teach and have often taught. However, what most people don’t know is that DISC comes in many different varieties though the foundation is the same - you’re either a D, I, S, or C. I found it challenging to sit through the teaching because I felt certain that I already knew everything the facilitator was going to say. During breaks I shared some of my experience with my classmates as I tried to anticipate what would come next in the training. Oh, I was confident and humbly proud – is that a thing? Probably not.
After each break, I learned that I had missed the mark on some of my predictions. At some point, I shut my mouth about what I knew….or what I THOUGHT I knew. I struggled within myself to regroup, relax and refocus. You see, even though I was already certified in this training, it was not exactly the same. While the core information was identical to what I know, there were some differences. As I reflected on that fact, I was humbled.
Now I do not remember the context in which the facilitator made the following comment, but that is irrelevant. What matters is the impact of her words. She said, “Do not flaunt your knowledge.” That message was meant for me and hit me right in the heart. I began working earnestly on finding new things to learn in an already familiar topic, and I continued keeping my big mouth shut. I was successful in my endeavors at the end of the day, but I will never forget that humbling moment. “Do not flaunt your knowledge.” Got it.
On Sunday of that same weekend, our pastor was in the book of John, chapter 11, verses 1-44. The sermon was the second in a series on suffering. Our pastor said that Jesus welcomes our honest grievances when we are suffering. At one point in his message, he directed us to verse 21 where Martha says to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Then we looked at verse 32 where Mary, after falling at Jesus’ feet says, “Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” The sisters were referring to the death of their brother, Lazarus, who we know Jesus raised from the dead. The sisters did not yet know what Jesus was going to do. They were solely focused on what He had not done. They thought themselves experts about Jesus and what they thought He could and should have done. It was then Pastor said, “Always be learning, never be the expert.”
Ouch. That was twice in three days where I was convicted of what I know to be true: I was prideful in my knowledge and I liked being an expert. I did not show up to that Friday DISC training humble and ready to learn. I showed up prideful in my knowledge thinking I already knew it all. I was ready to get through that part of the day and move on to the next thing. To add to my challenge was the fact that the training lasted the whole day! In the end, I thought I had worked through it well and practically broke my arm patting myself on the back when sharing my experience with my husband after the event.
It has been two weeks since that weekend training followed by Pastor’s sermon. I am still wrestling. When pride enters my heart or my head, I am not always quick to notice. Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” I know this now and have known it a long time, yet I still struggle with pride. It is my desire to serve well the people with whom I come in contact. I cannot be effective in that mission if I allow myself to always be the expert. That is not to say that when the time is right, I cannot be the expert. For example, as an HR professional, I know that I know how our benefits work, and I can even confidently answer some payroll questions. But I must confess…I do not always have the answers on tougher issues. I must ask others for help. I never want to give a confident WRONG answer. It is better for me to say, “I don’t know the answer to that, but I will find it,” than to be adamant in my ignorance. How does that saying go? Oh yeah, “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.” -Abraham Lincoln
The next time I find myself in a place of instruction, whether it be a classroom or church, I pray that the Holy Spirit reminds me of what I have learned of God’s truth. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” I pray that I continue to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit when He convicts me to be humble. James 4:10 says, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.” The joy that comes from being lifted by Jesus surpasses that of people’s praise.
Finally, I pray that, if you identified with anything you’ve read in this blog today, God gently convicts and corrects you. Remember, “…the Lord disciplines those He loves and He punishes everyone He accepts as a son.” Hebrews 12:6. A few lines later in verse 11, it says, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Be encouraged this week to share your knowledge without pride, to serve others with humility, and let the Lord do His great work in you.