Faulty assumptions

Today: 1 Kings 1-2

How much of our lives are driven by assumptions?

I assume that when I finish typing this post, it will show up on this site without a hitch. I assume that I'll sleep tonight, wake up in the morning and go to work. I assume that my house, city and workplace are safe. I assume that a message from a friend and a trip to Starbucks will brighten my day tomorrow...and hopefully I'll brighten up the day for at least one other person. I assume that I'm healthy and that I'll keep trekking along as is for a long time (I'm a little in denial about wrinkles at this point!). I assume that I'm funny (at least sometimes?) and well loved by two dogs, four family members, some Starbucks employees who give me free extra shots, co-workers and a crew of amazing friends.

Some of these assumptions may be true and others are false, but they're all just ideas in my head unless they're confirmed by reality. It's important to correctly label some of our critical assumptions as assumptions...otherwise, we are in danger of making some serious errors.

In today's passage, David's son Adonijah made some pretty big (and inaccurate) assumptions. Worse, he acted on his assumptions without confirming the facts. And even when it was obvious that he wouldn't be king, Adonijah assumed King Solomon (the brother he betrayed earlier) would cater to his request. Not so much.

As I close this post, I thought it would be good for us to think about our assumptions by asking ourselves some questions. It might even help to write down some answers.

• What kinds of assumptions do you have...
  
  - about yourself?
  - about other people in your life?
  - about the world around you?
  - about money?
  - about church/religion?
  - about God?
  
• Why is it important to identify assumptions?
  
• If you have a false assumption, how do you change it?

Tomorrow: 1 Kings 3-5

The Bold, Beautiful, Blessed and Deceived

Today: Genesis 27-29

If there ever was a Biblical soap opera, I think today's passage might have been it. These chapters set out a pretty twisted plotline--a brother deceiving a brother (and his father, too!), a bait-and-switch at the altar, a wife who gives children to her husband but receives no love in return, and the beautiful girl whose guy waited 14 years to make her his bride (and did I mention that this guy was also the one who married her older sister by mistake?). It sounds a little like Jerry Springer, don't you think?

What's amazing is that God was in the midst of this messiness. He didn't cause it. But He loved these people with messy lives. He was with them. He blessed them. He saw them. He heard them.

At moments, all of us can find ourselves in the midst of messes--messes that impact us or the people around us. Don't be afraid to reach out to God in your dramatic, messy life. And don't be afraid to reach out with God's love to someone else whose life is a mess to rival a Jerry Springer episode. Love is strong enough to wade its way through messes--and to pull us out of them, too!

Tomorrow: Genesis 30-31