Blissful Ignorance

Ignorance is Bliss!!  How true that is.  I told an acquaintance yesterday that I wished that I was stupid (or an idiot – can’t remember the adjective that I used).  It seems like an odd thing to wish for but think about all the things that you wouldn’t miss or even be aware of if you didn’t have knowledge or experience.  When I worked in sewing factories down south, I met a lot of women that had never been out of North Carolina, some had not ventured out of a 2 or 3 county area, and they were blissfully happy. They were not aware nor did they miss seeing three foot of snow, or the tulips in Holland, MI or the straits of Mackinaw.  They had never experienced a sunrise at Notre Dame Bay in Newfoundland so they didn’t miss the beauty.  They never experienced the amazing tranquility of Schwerin, Germany or the history of the Porte Negra in Trier, Germany or the grandeur of the Eiffel Tower – so they don’t miss them or long to see/experience them again.  Spiritually speaking – if you have always just played on the beach of the Holy Ghost or dabbled in the shallows – living on your parents/grandparents experience – then you do not miss or long for the depth in order to swim and be free in His spirit.  If you have never experienced the unspeakable Joy of the Holy Ghost then being mildly happy is enough to satisfy you.  If you have not known Divine Peace – then merely being contented is enough for you.  A while back I told someone that I would gladly give up the Joy of the Holy Ghost if it would mean they could experience it – knowing that God would replenish my supply.  Sadly, we can’t force the Joy on anyone.  We can’t force someone to take the divine Peace of God.  We can’t push someone into the deep waters of the Holy Ghost.  They have to want it themselves.  Tragically, many people are content living on the beach of the Holy Ghost – making sand castles and playing around – never venturing past the shallow water into the deep.  Sure, they see other people immersed in the depth of the Holy Ghost and they say they want it too but they don’t want to take the risk of looking foolish or having people talk about them.  They don’t want to risk changing their life choices.  They don’t want to venture out of their comfort zone where they can do what pleases them.  There is a risk in the deep water, the tides are stronger and sometimes you feel like you will drown but the pay-off of venturing out past the buoys is strong faith, divine peace and unspeakable joy.