I suppose I’m simple-minded (my wife would call me stubborn, but would settle for this, too, I’m sure). When I see something that should clearly work – something that is apparently true on its face — it’s kind of hard for me to change my mind. That doesn’t mean it can’t be changed. I’m constantly asking others for feedback and honest debate. But whatever the holder of a divergent view believes will certainly take some explaining. As it should. I would ask nothing less of myself when I engage with others.
Being simple-minded isn’t always a bad thing. It means sometimes being able to grasp something in a way that perhaps the more mentally sophisticated can’t see. Their problem is in looking too far beyond the simple; going to a point down the road when starting at the beginning may have been more helpful.
One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Proverbs 1:7 — because it’s quite simple: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” This verse sums up something I’d come to believe long ago – that when we start with God, the rest follows. The fear [that is, an appropriate respect] of the Lord should be the beginning of our worldview. The most detailed directions aren’t at all helpful if you’re starting from the wrong place. Sounds simple to me.
I’ve spoken here several times – and some quite recently – about the importance of scripture as a guide to the Christian faith. And it’s because of Proverbs 1:7 that I feel it important to study and understand scripture as our first source of wisdom and discipline. This way, when I’m wondering where I should look to help my marriage, I can go to scripture. The same goes for if I have trouble resolving my finances or just plain understanding the world around me and why it is the way it is. A diligent study of scripture puts me at the right starting point. To be sure, the Bible doesn’t say “Bob, pull all of your money out of the bank and put it into the stock market,” but it certainly informs my decisions as to how I can be a responsible steward of my money.
One of my favorite radio pastors, Tom Shrader, used to touch on this with a story about counseling troubled married couples. He’d listen to them, then usually end up asking, “Which one of you is in willful disobedience to the scriptures? Or is it both of you?” It might be even more helpful to say after that, “show your work in your answer;” that is, use what God is telling us all in scripture to show why you should be able to get away with what you’re doing. Unless, of course, you can’t.
I’m sure that sounds like an oversimplification. We all know there are so many complexities to life and relationships. But the bottom line really does come down to that: when we are in conflict, it’s because one or both of us are being disobedient to that which God has called us to do. Still, we refuse to look at it that way. It’s always, “Yes…but…” and then it’s off to the races with the excuses.
James confronts us with that in his letter to the church:
“What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” (4:1-3)
It all comes down to this – you’d rather do it your way than God’s way, and so you willfully ignore all the parts of his instructions that say things like, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” (Rm 12:18). James puts his finger right on the problem: “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (4:4).
That sounds pretty simple to me. What causes strife, conflict, ill-will? Well…me. I do. My desires. My jealousy. My selfishness. But not just me – you too. And the other guy. But I can’t do much about you or the other guy — I’m the one I can really work on the most, right? And if I’m going to be simple-minded about it, it can come down to something Solomon wrote at the end of his book on indulgence and failure:
Now all has been heard;
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the duty of all mankind.
For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil.
Respect my creator. Do what he asks of me. Let him handle the rest.
Simple enough.