From a Sermon Central article: “Three Powerful Words We Rarely Hear from Preachers: I’m a student of preaching and a sort of morbid fan of politics. One of the frustrating observations I have across both of those mediums is the allergic reaction people have to the words ‘I don’t know.’There is something explicitly or implicitly understood that public personalities need to have an authoritative position on everything.”

The truth is that only God/Jesus knows everything. Everyone else needs to be able and willing to say, “I don’t know.”

Perhaps some people fear that admitting their ignorance will cause others to think less of them. Sadly, sometimes those who appear most confident have a fragile ego and empty emotional tank.

On the contrary, a mature, wise, and growing person is humble, self-aware of their limitations, and has a teachable spirit.

I’ll try to be wise and courageous enough to say those three words more often: “I don’t know.”

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

 The New International Version. (2011). (Jas 1:5). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.