Contain: holding everything together
On craving knowldege, releasing control, and resting in God
Information invades every corner of our lives. Our minds receive countless quantities of stimuli. It’s impossible to process or possess everything.
The world that constantly feeds us this content often expects us to contain it. To not know is a dreaded thing—oh, you haven’t heard about the latest news, latest show, latest trend?
Whether your sphere of interest covers pop culture or not, it often feels like there’s a certain shame in unawareness, a disgrace in lacking experience. So we learn to nod and smile, not letting people in on how little we truly know.
No matter how many degrees you complete, YouTube videos you watch, or books you read, there will always be more stuff you don’t know. As much as I love reading, sometimes I find it overwhelming to stare at my beautiful bookshelves. They are a constant reminder of how little I understand.
Who am I if I don’t know things? If I can’t contribute to a conversation? When my wit fails?
Like any other lust, this desire for knowledge is destroying. With ourselves at the centre, the twisted longing for learning starts to eat away at you. Wasn’t the original sin connected to knowing good and evil ourselves?1
At its root, disordered love for knowledge is a futile grasp for control. It’s a fear of failure. Such lies are from the enemy—and ‘when he lies, he speaks his native language.’2
Living under such deception is idolatry. It’s my attempt to prove that I don’t need God and that I am fully capable of holding everything together on my own. But that couldn’t be further from the truth! In reality, I am completely dependent on God, down to every neuron, every cell, every fibre of my being.
Shame is always from the enemy. We have been set free! There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.3 Yet, God made us with limitations. We aren’t meant to be infinite sources of information! Freedom is found within constraints, not by flaunting our own capacity.
Praise the Lord, He is the One holding everything together. It’s not me!! ‘The earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, belong to Yahweh.’4 God created this universe. He has been sustaining it long before I was born, and he shall keep holding it together long after I die.
Letting go of control means resting in God’s provision. It is an acknowledgement of His strength and my weakness, His fullness and my emptiness.
To trust God with the unknown requires us to live in mystery. He is our Father and we are His children. And, like children, we must trust that our Father knows more than us. He will open our minds to show us all we need to know at the right time.
As a container of knowledge, I am hopeless—full of leaks and holes. But I am not a temple of information. I am a temple of the Holy Spirit.5 God has chosen me, and you, as His dwelling place. And that is a far greater calling than anything else I could hope to be.
The words of the wise are like cattle prods—painful but helpful. Their collected sayings are like a nail-studded stick with which a shepherd drives the sheep.
But, my child, let me give you some further advice: Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much study wears you out.
That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.
—Ecclesiastes 12v11-14, NLT
Genesis 2v9.
John 8v44.
Romans 8v1.
Psalm 24v1.
1 Corinthians 3v16; 2 Corinthians 6v19.
Love your insightful reminder and this challenge around our us being called be the Temple of the Spirit, not a 'container of knowledge' .
As a "P" (Perceiver) in the MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) I wonder if this is extra challenging... Perceivers tend to want to just *keep on finding more information* help them feel more confident/ready to make decisions (contrasting with the Js - Judgers - who prefer momentum and movement through decisions.)
Great food for thought in your blog.. As always!
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