“Know-it-alls” irritate me. You know the type. People who believe themselves to be authorities on every subject, no matter what it is. I have known a lot of “know-it-alls” in my time, and I am here to say that all of you who think you have all the answers are really annoying to those of us who really do!
I can just hear some of you saying, “Stan, you and Larry sure seem to be ‘know-it-alls’ to me”. And, of course, that is part of the danger of airing your opinions each and every week. But, I am willing to admit to you here and now that in many areas I am ignorant!
When I was a kid, I had a close relative, about my age, that went through a stage of being a know-it-all. Fortunately, he outgrew it. But, for a while it was no fun talking with him because he was always having to show off, pontificating about some subject.
When I first began using a computer, I had a preacher friend who was fond of talking about his fine computer. He would talk about the speed of his processor, the amount of memory he had, and the size of his hard drive. He would brag about having the latest software, and what his computer could do. My computer was much less impressive, and I, at the time, was making due with less powerful software as well.
Well, one day he called me on the phone, and asked for help. He was trying to edit a circular for a gospel meeting, and was having a hard time with a technical issue. He thought that since I had used the same program, I might know the solution to the problem. After describing the problem, I suggested he hit the backspace key. He was quiet for a minute, then meekly said, “Thanks, that did it.” And hung up. He never bragged about computers around me again!
There is a passage of scripture that fits situations such as this, it is from the book of Proverbs. “Do you see a man hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.” (29:20). Or, how about this one. “Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.” (26:12).
There is a maxim that has been attributed to Mark Twain, Abraham Lincoln and Albert Einstein, among others. It says that, “It is better to be quiet and thought a fool, than to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt.” The idea behind it probably came from the 17th, chapter of Proverbs, verse 28, that says, “Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive.”
And so, I will close this rant with a confession. I don’t know all the answers. We talk politics, economics and range far and wide on other topics. I know some things, and am reasonably confident with what the Bible teaches on many of the topics. And even though I may not have all the answers, there is one thing of which I am relatively sure, despite Barak Obama’s obvious belief to the contrary, the federal government does not have all the answers either! And the more he talks, the more it seems to be “removing all doubt” considering his foolishness. I just hope either he, or we, learn before its too late!
Hi stan,
Love your story about know it all…
sometimes we get caught up in this fallen
world and we learn the hard way :) Just listening to your watchmen digest. it’s awesome…keep up the good work!!!