Do You Understand Understanding?
Lately it has become clear to me that there is something that is largely missing in our world. It is something that comes from God. There are more Christians than any other type of religious belief, so you would think that this element of God would be abounding, but it is clearly not abounding in the world at this time. Maybe it is because it is something that we just don’t care a lot about. Or maybe we are just unaware of it.
I’m talking about understanding. Understanding is a quality of God’s spirit that lives within us. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, (Isaiah 11:2, NKVJ). There seems to be a big void of understanding. We simply don’t understand each other. We have increased polarity in our politics. People are angry at their neighbors. And even families can’t be together at holidays because of disagreements. What we need is understanding.
Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. (Proverbs 4:7, NKJV)
Another word for understanding would be empathy. It does not seek to divide and make enemies. Empathy gives value to those who may think differently than we do. This is an area that, to my surprise, has been growing in me in recent years. It’s not something I have even asked for, but I do think that somewhere along the line, we all grow in this area if our heart is open to a gracious God. I have found myself being able to see why others may think the way they do, where I used to simply dismiss them as stupid or inferior or just having some sort of evil motive. I see people differently now.
I have become convinced that at the core of humanity is goodness, but humanity is also largely affected by fear. When I recognize that fear, I am a little more understanding of the anger that can come from that fear. This understanding does not excuse everything that’s done, but it does bring a gentleness. It does help to quell my own fear of those who oppose me or my beliefs. Understanding seems to make me bigger inside. And that allows me to feel more empathy and even love. In fact, understanding is simply one facet of the agape love of God.
God has shown me this and it is really a beautiful thing. And while I do have my own opinions on politics, world affairs, and our own society, I don’t really feel that I have enemies anymore. And that must be a wonderful work of the Lord. It is a gift from his Spirit. It is called understanding. Whenever there were times that it was very difficult to forgive an individual, it was understanding that broke the hold of unforgiveness and the pain it was causing my heart. Somehow, by the Spirit of God, I was able to get a glimpse of how God viewed the other person and He viewed them with such kindness and patience and I could see that they too were precious to Him. This is understanding and it has a powerful effect upon our hearts.
With the Holy Spirit’s gift of understanding it is not so hard to love not only our neighbors but also our “enemies”. I would encourage everyone to pray and ask our Father for more understanding of people. I think that the time we live in is a very good time for us to see God’s creation the way that He sees them. With understanding, we can pour more love and goodness into this world. And I’m excited by the possible outcome. I am so glad that when I was acting my worst, God knew me and understood me. Without excusing my actions, He gave me love, grace, gentleness and kindness. The goodness of God has brought about a change in me. He is the same way with us all.
Blessings to you, friend. I hope your day is filled with the peace that comes from knowing God’s grace.