Tip of My Iceberg

photo courtesy of Crina Miriam Cretu on Unsplash

I can’t pick out a decent watermelon to save my hide.

For years, I’ve been told that you thump the melon and listen for a hollow sound. So I thump away, each and every watermelon.

I have no idea what hollow sounds like. I could literally play a drum solo with the way I thump those melons.

My inability to determine whether a watermelon is ripe and ready to eat can mean getting a melon that’s pithy or overly ripe. Once you cut into it, you can tell if it’s worth eating.

I’ve also heard that you can look for the yellow spot on the side. It must be a certain shade; I’m also unsure of the color. I’ve rolled these melons to check the yellow spots and have discovered that every one of them appears to be similar. How do I choose?

I finally gave up.

I did what I should have done to begin with. I asked one of the folks working in produce which watermelon would be good. My question was, “If you were picking out a melon for your family, which would you pick?”

He glanced quickly over the huge box of possibilities, picked one up, without thumping or checking yellow spots, and handed it to me. “This is a good one.”

He was right.

I don’t always want to ask for help when I need it. I’m quick to convince myself that I can figure it out. I also am not great at reading instruction books. I’d rather observe the instrument and intuit how to use it.

That rarely brings success.

There’s pride in not asking for help. I don’t want someone to see me as uninformed or incompetent. There’s always a downside to arrogance, however. I might not accomplish what I want to do. There’s no shame in asking for help.

You have to know the right people to ask.

Habakkuk was a prophet in Judah around 600 BC, right before the 597 BC conquest of this nation by Babylon. He was concerned about all the evil taking place in Judah, especially all the idol worship, and questioned by God didn’t do something to intervene. When he understood that God would use Babylon, even more wicked than Judah, he couldn’t understand why God would use someone worse to show truth to His people.

“How long, O LORD, must I call for help? But You do not listen! ‘Violence is everywhere!’ I cry, but You do not come to save. Must I forever see these evil deeds? Why must I watch all this misery? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence. I’m surrounded by people who love to argue and fight.’” Habakkuk 1:2-3.

He wasn’t just seeking information; Habakkuk was trying to understand what this meant about God’s justice. He was wise in his questions; he didn’t go to someone who might have known God. He asked God Himself.

God answered him.

“The LORD replied, ‘Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.’” Habakkuk 1:5.

In His response, the Lord said it would be tough to understand. But God gave him an honest answer. He revealed a plan that would be hard to understand. Which strengthened his faith.

Asking the right people, especially on issues we don’t understand, such as spiritual questions, can give us insight into what truth is.

Better than thumping a watermelon.