“Who are these people? They have a lot of tattoos and they’re dressed in those leather clothes. Those rumbling bikes are really noisy. There’s whole packs of them on the road. Are we okay?”
Although our children weren’t necessarily voicing these concerns, I could tell from their wary looks out the windows of our car that they were worried. I must say I wasn’t exactly confident in our assurances to them that everything was just fine.
Before long we pulled over to check out the prairie dog village at Devil’s Tower National Monument. And several intimidating looking bikers joined us. But surprise! They engaged with us and our children about all sorts of topics that we shared… traveling, family, nature. Soon our children relaxed and chatted freely.
We had encountered the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Each August thousands of Harley Davidson riders descend on the region where South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana meet. If you are also traveling in the area, it is impossible to avoid meeting up with them.
The famous singer, Marian Anderson, encountered countless people during her career. Many treated her unfairly and without appreciation for her outstanding talents. She had every right to react negatively to their comments and actions. But even when confronted with an especially rude person, she said she was careful not to assume that one person or their attitude represented an entire group. She was faced with untold acts of prejudice and persecution because of her race. Yet she didn’t allow an individual’s actions or words to broad brush an entire group. She worked individually with people hoping to change their perceptions and attitudes.
I’m with Marian. I had trouble with the premises I was taught in my sociology class. I balked at imposed divisions. I try to look and listen to individuals and not put them into a category of assumed attributes and beliefs.
Assumptions are accepted as true or certain to happen without any proof or evidence. We often hear someone who is making a proposal say, “Let’s assume…” And then comes a theory or speculation or even just a guess. That’s when discernment is so vital. Where are these assumptions coming from? What are they based on?
Now we can assume the sun will rise each morning and that the earth will continue to rotate and revolve as it always has. The past evidence that this has happened before, over and over, gives credence to those assumptions.
But what happens when we apply that to the people we know, people we come in contact with, people we work with, those we lead? Is past behavior an assurance that the future will also play out the same way? That certainly is the hope when someone is reliable and we can count on them to do their job well.
But what if we are wary of their past behavior and aren’t looking for a change? These negative assumptions can go both ways… leader or follower, boss or employee, parent or child, chairman or member. Too often we look for signs that our assumptions are correct. It’s that “Aha! I knew it!” moment. We can also deliberately overlook anything that might challenge our assumptions for fear we may be proven wrong. We are suspicious of a person’s true motives. We dismiss their actual good intentions and concerns for our welfare.
In the workplace, organization, or society in general there is also a tendency to label different generations. And the assumptions that follow color our impressions of their abilities and attitudes. They can affect our willingness to hire or promote an individual. They can keep us from giving someone a chance.
All these negative assumptions, whatever they are based upon, can create mistrust and fear. They can build walls and break down healthy, open communication. We need to ask ourselves where these ideas are coming from… what created this feeling? If we don’t honestly evaluate our attitudes, we may miss out on the gifts and talents of someone who can truly make a difference in our company, our organization, our lives.
There were a lot of assumptions about our Lord Jesus. Whenever He did something miraculous, there were those who wanted to make Him a king in the political line of David (Mark 11:10; John 6:15). They didn’t realize His kingdom was different.
The woman at the well in Samaria assumed Jesus was only a Jewish man who shouldn’t be associating with a Samaritan woman (John 4:9). The Pharisees assumed He was just another religious radical who would cause them trouble and threaten their standing (John 11:47-50). Sadly for some of these people, they would miss out on knowing the One who could change their life forever.
Our Lord Jesus never assumed. He knew! He knew this world needed saving. He knew His mission was to the lost sheep of this world… all of us sinners.
Thank goodness my Lord Jesus gave me a chance in spite of everything He knew about me. He didn’t dismiss my faults and failures. But He forgave them. He assumed the responsibility for them. He shouldered the burden for me. He took over the penalty I deserved and claimed for me the victory over death.
I don’t assume it. I know it!
Christine Vogelsang is a teacher, musician, pastor’s wife, and mother of three adult children. For almost forty years her family enjoyed the love of congregations in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Southern California. She has earned her master’s degree in education, taught at various schools (from kindergarten to college) and served as music director for twenty-five years at their last church.
While writing and speaking about the joy of being God’s child has always been a part of her life, it wasn’t until her weekly inspirational blogs (restoringthejoy.net) gained an international following that Christine decided to publish her first book. She has also written and produced three plays about people and events in the Gospels that bring these ancient stories to life.
Christine and her husband have retired from full time church work; however, her blog ministry continues to grow. She recently completed her Restoring the Joy: Leaving My Guilt at the Cross book series (available through Amazon) and is scheduling more speaking engagements that highlight her spiritual passion: joy without guilt!
