No assumptions

I was driving down this busy road then my eyes caught sight of a store signage with the words “PSALM 34”. Nice, I said for a business to have a Bible chapter as it’s name. But the feeling was quick because under the store name are lighter colored letters that spelled “Barbecue”.
How could a holy name be relevant to a barbecue business?
I guess it was a day of visual surprises because a few meters ahead, a long tarpaulin shows this message : Jesus Christ, Moses and Grace Poe have the same foundling origin. Let the people decide …..
Again, how could politics be associated with a holy person and Jesus himself?
No offense meant and with due respect for the owners of these signages, but I just couldn’t help raise my eyebrow and ask those questions.
Then it was my turn to receive God’s message.
My car radio was tuned to a religious station and while those two questions continue to hang in my mind, I heard the host of the program admonishing the listeners not to quickly run into assumptions. It is dangerous, she said, especially if we don’t have the real facts or background of a case.
Blam! That hit me!
I was assuming my own thought and opinions about the two signages I saw, even snickering about how irrelevant they are. God was telling me to stop assuming!
It is a dangerous thought because when we assume, we are basically making a guess, ergo, no proof. And so when proven wrong, it makes us look foolish.
American TV host Ellen Degeneres once said, “You should never assume. You know what happens when you assume. You make an ass out of you and me because that’s how it’s spelled.”
Funny but true.
When someone bangs on your door in the middle of the night and you assume it was your noisy neighbor so you tell her to go away! But what if you found out later it was you mother?
I’ve done my share of assumptions, too. I over think about persons and situations and instead of helping me, the assumptions created problems that should not have happened.
When my late husband would come home at dawn, I would assume that he doesn’t respect me and that he loves his friends more. This thought will always stir me to anger and the verbal clashes happen.
The endless arguments will continue because I’ve blown a situation completely out of proportion in my head, and only realised afterwards just how ridiculous it was.
Two decades later, I shake my head and get ashamed of my behavior.  How I wish my husband is alive now to see how I’ve renewed my mind and heart and soul in accordance to God’s will.
“….present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12: 1-2)
Most assumptions carry negative thoughts. Instead of thinking so pessimistically  about all the situations, let’s find the positive side. As the common expression goes, let’s start seeing life as a glass half full and not as a glass half empty.
Stop assuming. It can be a good new year resolution.
People will not like us if we assume all the time. When we’re forming our opinions, let’s go slow and do it carefully. As they say haste makes waste. Rash judgements are followed by regrets. We don’t want to get into that situation.  Proverbs 25:8 in the Holy Bible gives us the best advice: “Don’t jump to conclusions – there may be a perfectly good explanation for what you just saw.”
Amen.