When the kids were growing up we had a saying in our house. Still do.
All of our kids participated in sports at some level throughout their school days.
And at some point would be struggling with practice, understanding a new scheme, or struggling getting more than just a base hit.
At the dinner table, me, mom, or a sibling would offer up the family credo of… “Just figure it out.”
If you were a fly on the wall at one of those dinners, the family encouragement may sound a bit harsh.
And you may not UNDERSTAND why we would treat the kids that way.
But just being a fly on the wall for a second, and you buzzing all around, really doesn’t give you what you would need to truly UNDERSTAND the sentiment behind the tone.
And what is it that you would need?
Time.
Time in and around the family to see where the phrase comes from and how, and why, it’s used as such.
If you had the time, you would UNDERSTAND how much time was spent PRIOR to today’s problem with the new play scheme; or how much time was spent on learning how to get that base hit in the first place.
If you had the time you would learn about how STRONG the internal relationships are amongst everyone in my family.
If you had the time you would get to see THE OTHER discussions… the one on one discussions, where we talk about the particular struggle that’s taking place.
If you had the time you would see how much we love we each other… and you would learn that “Figure it out.” also means… “I love you.” “Hey, stick with it.” “You’re putting the work in, it will come around for you.”
With enough time put in, hanging out with “the fam,” you would then come to UNDERSTAND what “Figure it out,” means to us, and why we use it the way we use it.
UNDERSTANDING… takes time; it takes PARTICIPATION; it takes HELP; and it takes WANTING to receive help.
Nobody goes through this world all on their own.
You might think you are; you might think you don’t need anybody; think about the last “new” job that you had, did you know everything about it, right off the bat?
My new book I’m working on… “Before the Bible: What happens then?” will use UNDERSTANDING as one of the main talking points.
As grown adults, heck, even as young adults, we have a personal perspective. A certain PERSONAL understanding of how we THINK things work. Personal PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS.
Especially when it comes to THE BIBLE.
Think to yourself about either a comment you’ve made; or a comment someone you know made in regards to why they don’t read the bible… when you and they both… profess to believe in God.
“I hate reading.” “It’s boring.” “I believe, that’s enough.” “It’s just another book, written by a bunch of dead guys.”
Now try to determine why you understand it in that light. Why do you see it that way? When did you decide that was going to be your life view?
There is a story, in the Bible, that speaks directly to… an adult new comer, who is a “gentile,” a person who has just come from “church,” but doesn’t know who Jesus Christ is… even though he’s reading one of the best Old Testament texts that prophesies’ about Jesus Christ himself.
This person was a foreign official; educated; had gone to Jerusalem to worship; and had access to “scrolls” of the day that had been verified, at some point, as being an “authentic” authorized study tool.
And like our modern day STUDY BIBLES that are over our head… this gentleman’s “study guide” was over his.
Here are the verses… found in the Bible, in the book of Acts Ch. 8 Verses 26-31
“Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian[a] eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake [or Candace] (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet.
“Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.
31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.”
As I did with my kids when they were growing up, we put the time in… together, like Philip would do with the Ethiopian on the desert road, in order to learn and understand the words we were using, “Figure it out.” or in the case of the Ethiopian, understanding the words he was reading in the book of Isaiah.
The next verses show, how Philip, through his EXPERIENCE of knowing Jesus Christ, could explain to the Ethiopian official… starting at the point where he was, in his reading, of who Christ was through the written word.
32 This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:
“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth.”
34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?”
35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
You might be thinking, “Dave, if all of that is in the bible, why would you need to write “another” book, to try to get someone to “start reading their bible,” why not just give them a bible?”
Well, because…
I’ve experienced a “gap” “Saw it with my own two eyes!” where a person, myself included, had an experience with Jesus in their life, shared that experience with a known believer, and who being excited for the “newby” inundated them with a bible and a very large study bible… thereby scaring them away from the word… instead of sharing the word with them “where their at,” and pointing them in the right direction, by using a simple explanation of a certain passage that they are comfortable with sharing… that expresses their personal relationship and experience with Jesus Christ.
As a man… it’s my duty to stand in that gap.
As an author and communicator…it’s my duty to write books.
As a son of God… it’s my duty, and honor, to try and help others.
If you’ve had a life experience and have an inkling to get in the bible, but don’t know where to start… here is my advice that I give to folks I talk to about such things… the book of John… get a bible where the language means something to you and go to the book of John… read it, read it, and read it again… slowly… and look for “the love of God” “the Holy Spirit” and “the person of Jesus Christ.”
Drop me a comment with your thoughts about this topic… it might HELP ME UNDERSTAND how to make the new book better.
Thanks in advance!
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