I Don’t Know

Three simple, powerful, humble words.

As a new teacher I thought I was supposed to know it all. Nothing terrified me more than a question I couldn’t answer quickly, immediately, on-the-spot.

Students wouldn’t respect a teacher who didn’t know stuff. That’s what I thought, so I did everything I could to pretend. Because nobody knows all the answers.

I learned with experience that kids really respected honesty and truthfulness. I appreciated “let’s figure it out together” much more than some fake know-it-all façade.

I’m not sure. Let’s work it out. What do you think?

Turns out those phrases were far more powerful as learning tools than providing quick, off-hand, incomplete answers.

Turns out “I don’t know” can be a sign of authentic confidence.

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We talk a lot here about human trafficking and injustice. Honestly, I get pretty frustrated at times when I think about the horrible circumstances in which so many people struggle for survival.

I feel like I should be able to explain the whole awful mess. I want answers. I want to tell you why this happens, who’s to blame, and what we can do right now to fix it.

I suppose I could toss out some platitudes about God’s plan. I could create a high-sounding word salad of theological gobbledygook that might make us feel better.

I do know some stuff, about how Jesus called us to confront injustice and care for the least of these. And of course I’m responsible to share what I know and do what I can.

But the truth is: There’s a lot I don’t know. And rather than pretending, I’d rather work through it together.

That, I think, is what it means to be together on this journey of hope. It doesn’t mean always being right or knowing the answers. It means this entire community – everyone reading this blog, our Freedom Tour cyclists and volunteers – we’re all in this together.

We follow Jesus, speak the truth, do our best, and trust God for the outcome.

Thanks for being part of the journey. If you’d like to know more about the FREEDOM TOUR, click here.

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