All Things Denote
Where knowing what to look for, is infinitely applicable to much more than just shopping.
Truths that are so obvious that nobody thinks to think about them, are often some of the most profound truths God bestows upon His children. At this point, you might be tempted to quote Miracle Max, from the Princess Bride, “Oooo hoo hoooo … look who knows so much, huh?!” And we get it. What do we know?
But in this thing, we may be on to something, because these commonly dismissed truths are surprisingly universal, meaning they have been delivered to the vast majority of His children, in a predictably generous and just manner, as one might expect of a duly appointed deity, ie., the one true and living God!
For instance, if you are good at anything, then you know that you know things that seemingly few other people know. This greater knowledge allows you to see things they can’t see, hear things they can’t hear, and speak things they can’t speak. It also allows you to act in ways they can’t act, and choose things they would never choose. This means, you can accurately say something along the lines of, “Well, you have to know what you’re looking for in order to see it. This is not an appeal by you to magic. This is not an appeal to the supernatural. This is not even an attempt by you to hide your ignorance. It’s just super hard to help someone see the nuance of a thing, when they aren’t super familiar with the thing.
The proof of this truth is everywhere. No seriously … everywhere!
For instance, my wife can’t play basketball worth a hoot. She can’t choose to do some of the same things on a basketball court that I can. This is not because she has been robbed of agency, but because her unfamiliarity with basketball dictates that she can’t act (move) like a basketball player. Now, some people can’t play basketball, but they can still talk about it, because they watch it all the time. Not her! She can’t even speak “basketball”. In fact, it’s a little embarrassing when she tries. She’ll say something super cringe without knowing it and with the wrong inflection. Like when she said, “Woah! That was a nice slam jam!”
Really. I heard her say that once. Of course, I asked her not to ever say it again, at least not in public (Cause it was rather adorable in an innocent, childlike ignorance kind of way.). In fact, it sounded like someone attempting to speak a foreign language, only they just started Duo Lingo last week, and they are trying to show off how far they’ve already come.
And while that was cute and all, she couldn’t even dream of talking about the pick and roll, a backdoor cut, the nuances of helpside defense, or the lost art of performing a simple drop step.
Which is why my wife (who is undeniably capable in so many areas) couldn’t see or understand that the dunk was the least impressive part of the play. A person with a basketball background would have picked up on the intricate and impressive discerning of the defense, by 3 different offensive players at the exact same time, whose minds became “one” for a brief moment, coalescing around the truth of their situation, in order to create the timing, space, and angles necessary to make the dunk possible.
So yeah – the truth is this: You don’t know what you don’t know. Or maybe we could extrapolate it even further: You can’t see what you can’t see. You can’t hear what you can’t hear. And you certainly can’t speak languages that you can’t speak. So simple … so profound.
“But what does that prove?”, you might ask. And then maybe you’d carry on about it for a bit. “You haven’t proven anything at all, that’s just dumb old basketball. Basketball isn’t hardly worth a spec of dust. What relevance does basketball have in our lives? How is that proof that people who are good at any particular thing can see things other people can’t? What about something truly meaningful, like video games? Or maybe novels? Or a musical instrument?”
To which we’d ask, “What about ‘em? Don’t they each denote the same truth?”
You want more proof? Here’s another one for you. I once heard a woman tell me that quilting involves batting. What do bats have to do with quilting? I have no idea. Which is actually my whole point. Cause even quilters know and see and hear and understand things about quilts that I can’t, even when I’m lying underneath one.
To which you might say, “Oh … well fine, forget about hobbies. What about bigger things? More important things? Things like science, important subjects, or professions? Yeah, like maybe a doctor, or an accountant, or maybe even a lawyer.” To which I’d maybe say, “Dang, you got me on the lawyer …”
But, if we are being truthful, this truth always holds up! Which is why a deep and abiding belief in God is so much fun. A mere keeping of the baptismal covenant unlocks the secrets of the universe. By remembering Christ always, we suddenly start choosing things, doing things, seeing things, hearing things, and speaking things that some can’t.
Now, some folks may think you’re crazy when you start seeing God everywhere, but we’d say you’re no more crazy than the guy who can speak video games, and claims to know the secrets of level 7.
At this point, and without a further ado, I think we are ready to exclaim in unison, that those who claim to believe in God, should be able to see and hear and know things that are not seeable and hearable and knowable to just anyone or everyone. There are things to be seen that can only be seen by those who have paid the price to see it.
Which leads us to the greatest truth claim of all truth claims:
All things denote there is a God.