What a messy world we live in. You don’t have to look long to find an example of a difficult situation or a problem with no easy answer.
I, on the other hand, am a very cut-and-dried person. (Okay, I always thought it was “cut-and-dry” but a quick search of the internet seems to indicate it’s “dried.” Anyone know?)
Not that I don’t have and make my own messes…that’s another blog post altogether. (And doing a search of my blog seems to indicate that that is not something I talk about much. Not surprising…who wants to talk about their sin?)
(And if I don’t keep interrupting myself with parenthetical thoughts, you might be able to follow what I’m trying to say.)
What I mean by saying I’m a cut-and-dried person is that I like to see the world in black and white. Something’s right, or it’s not.
While I DO believe that most things are right or wrong in theory, in the field, things are muddier.
Just like all those physics problems that I’d do back in my college days. They never were true to life, because they didn’t factor in things like wind resistance. Game time decisions are hard to make, even after you’ve practiced play after play. (Ha! I used a physics metaphor and a sports metaphor back to back…and I’m a girl!)
I sometimes get myself in trouble when I rigidly apply my in-theory principles to the real world. I am not in want of opinions. Just ask, and I’ll tell you. But I’m forgetting that real-life situations are always messier. This isn’t physics class–we must account for things like emotions and motives, both of which are known to be messy.
So, while there may be one clear answer or solution, it might not be the first one that pops to my little head. I’m still learning that there’s a difference between knowledge and wisdom…the second of which I still sorely lack.
Photo by Andy Field
Goodmorning FGD…I have always heard “dried”…We are never too old to learn…need to always be willing…that is another story.
Yes, I am a believer of everything being black & white, but when you deal with people (which is all the time) things do not seem so cut and dried. I’m in a situation right now that I am so confused about that I honestly just don’t know what to do. I’ve reasoned out two different ways to handle it, and both ways seem right to me. Life is messy, which is why we need God so very much.
Okay, so that’s 2 votes for “dried”…how come that sounds weird to me? Do I just not pay enough attention?
Liz: I’ve been in situations like that before…I think that God sometimes gives us a choice between 2 options. If neither is sinful and you’ve not been given counsel to choose one over the other, I think it’s your choice.
I’ve never succumbed to the “everything is black & white” theory. I honestly like that it’s not all laid out for us – it leaves room for some decision making and some test of character.
Not so, I think you are very wise. And you speak in love. That is something I’m still practicing as I try to remove my “cut and dried” glasses to try to see things as they are in the real world.
I see so many things as grey, and different shades of grey. Black-and-white is just too difficult. “It is or it isn’t, it’s wrong or it’s right…” That just doesn’t seem possible to me.
Vicki: Thanks, Vicki, that means a lot. It’s hard!
Interesting, I also have never heard it as ‘dried’.
I tend to see things in black and white, with a hint of gray. I think there’s gray in everything, but that overall it’s truly black and white. It’s either sinful and sin driven or not. To me the gray is the person’s heart and motive.