“Ignorance is bliss” is a phrase that I’ve heard all my life and, until fairly recent in my adult years, I thought that ignorance was a good thing.
Well, kinda.
A word like ignorance and a word like bliss together in the same sentence is, initially, a bit confusing. With the negative connotation of the word ignorance, how can it be bliss? I’m glad you asked.
The definition of ignorance is lack of knowledge or information. If you don’t know something, it really can’t be held against you. THAT is the blissful aspect of ignorance. It’s the fact that, when ignorant, you can’t really be held accountable. No accountability means you can do what you want, and that sounds fun AF?. Lol. A much simpler time, seemingly.
Now that I’m actively following God, when I know better, I HAVE to do better. I, honestly, don’t have a choice. That conviction kicks in and the things I used to be comfortable with doing are no longer acceptable. I am by no means perfect, BUT I am progressing which is, I think, one of the most important parts of Christianity.
One the other side of “ignorance is bliss” is “knowledge is power”. Your knowledge of the word is your power to conquer every trial you encounter. It’s how you get through the day-to-day situations. It’s what you hold on to when you feel like you have nothing and nobody left to turn to. God literally gives us His Word as a map to navigate this crazy world, but we have to read the map. We have to study the map. We have to KNOW the map. What good is it to have GPS readily available to you and you’re not even going to use it? He has the answers. All we have to do is seek those answers.
James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
The thing is, I constantly crave knowledge. Like a sponge, I’ll soak in knowledge openly given to me anyway. The issue is going to look for it. To go out of my way to do anything is a struggle for me, period. However, recently, I’ve been inspired by people close to me to dive deeper into my word for multiple reasons.
I’m supposed to be familiar with His Word. I can’t call up my super saved friends every time something goes wrong. I need to call on HIM and pull from the Word that I’M supposed to know.
When those around me need spiritual counsel, I can’t direct them to someone else every time someone has a question. I want to be able to answer a question, BOLDLY.
When I’m challenged spiritually, by believers and non-believers alike, I need to know my stuff. I need to be able to, without a doubt, know what I’m talking about. I need to be confident in my Word like I’m confident about Whataburger better than In-N-Out.
As I was studying and writing this post, proverbs was crawling with scripture concerning knowledge, but here’s the one that stood out to me the most.
Proverbs 12:1 whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid.
This scripture just jacks me all the way up because discipline and knowledge go hand in hand. Furthermore, anyone that flees from knowledge in order to avoid correction is dumb. It literally says that, which is as blunt as it can be put. Drag me, Lord.
I went back and forth on whether to name this post “Knowledge is Ki” or “Wisdom is Ki” because they’re so intertwined. Although closer related, there is a slight difference. Knowledge is really about facts and that we acquire through research, observation, or experience. Wisdom is the ability to discern and judge which aspects of that knowledge are true and applicable to your life.
It never fails that God will test you in an area that you lack knowledge in, in an effort to stretch you. That’s life. He’s always down to put a learning opportunity in place for us. From there, it’s our job to learn more about His Word in order to be able to have that to stand on when times get rough. I’ve made the investment in an amazing study Bible recently and I can’t WAIT to dive into each and every chapter. Sure, it’ll read me while I’m reading it, but the knowledge obtained and the wisdom that comes from it will be so worth it.