I have a picture book that I like to use during lessons about similes and lessons about drawing conclusions. It is “Seven Blind Mice” by Ed Young. Do you know this story?
In this story there are seven blind mice who argue about a strange object they happen upon. Each mouse, in turn, investigates the object and proclaims to the others what the object is. The problem is they do not agree on what they have found. That is, until the last mouse explains to them that they have each described only a part of this unknown thing and that they must put all their information together to understand what the object is. I won’t spoil the end for you -- it’s fun to see if you can figure it out before they do.
Oh, but how I need to be reminded not to make the same mistake of the first six mice! So many times I take the bit of information that I have in front of me and presume to understand the whole situation.
Sometimes I jump to a conclusion about a students’ behavior. Other times I make a quick judgment about a student’s achievement based on one or two assessments. If I’m honest, I do this all the time with coworkers, parents, and other adults that I interact with, too. I hear one comment and assume I understand their thoughts and their situations. I am just like those blind mice!
I remember several years ago reading a book about assessment where the author compared assessments to windows. (I’m sorry I can’t properly credit the author now -- I have no idea what book that was this many years later!) When you look out your window, you can only see part of what is outside. You get a limited glimpse of the surroundings, but there is also a lot you can’t see. I see how this analogy applies to many aspects of daily life with other people.
There is no way I can understand someone’s point of view on a particular topic without spending a great deal of time learning about all their past experiences that led them to that belief. I should not be so quick to assume I understand someone else’s behavior when I only get the view from my window. I need to be reminded to step back and realize that I don’t have all the information.
When a mother complains about an assignment, I am tempted to be defensive and short-tempered. But what if there are circumstances that I don’t see? She may not be telling me that her Dad has just been diagnosed with terminal cancer, or her husband lost his job six months ago, and they are facing foreclosure on their home. In short, her complaint about the homework is really not the root of the problem, it’s just one more thing she feels she cannot deal with right now.
When my coworker refuses to help with a project or fails to complete it, I get frustrated and decide she’s taking advantage of me. But maybe what I don’t know is that her child is lashing out at her over everything since her divorce. It’s possible that her best friend has just betrayed her, or she has just discovered that her husband has been unfaithful. The project that seems so important to me is not even on her radar because she is overwhelmed with her own problems.
When I think like this, it reminds me to be kind and forgiving. I can be more patient and understanding. Even when I don’t know the whole story, I can resist the temptation to make a quick judgment.
This idea also applies to my spiritual life. I cannot comprehend all that God is doing from the limited viewpoint that I can see. He is at work on such a grand scale! God’s plans are so much bigger than I can even imagine, but He is at work all around me. I should never assume I completely understand what He is doing. While I see what’s out my little window at one given point in time, He sees a view even bigger than a google earth shot! And He sees across all time! In this life, there are going to be a lot of times when I don’t understand what God is doing. But God sees the whole picture -- all the time! I can trust Him to work in His perfect timing and His perfect ways, even though I can’t completely see it myself.
And one day, we will see clearly the whole picture of God’s plan working around us. Until then, I’m going to try to be more and more like that seventh mouse who didn’t jump to a conclusion but who took the time to gather up all the information and see as much of the picture as she could.
Father God, help me to avoid jumping to conclusions based on partial information. It is so easy to do! Help me to be the person who always attempts to understand, who always offers the benefit of the doubt, who seeks Your wisdom and shows Your love even when I don’t know the whole story. Help me to be gracious to others, as You are gracious to me. And help me to see more and more of You each day and to understand how You are working around me.
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