Abandoning What We Know = Unnecessary Consequences

While reflecting yesterday, I came across another powerful message from Sarah Jakes. I couldn't even listen to the message in it's entirety after she made the following statement:

"When you abandon what you know, you suffer consequences that are unnecessary."

I had to stop right there and chuckle because I find this to be so true. Often times, we know exactly what the outcome of many of the situations we find ourselves in will be, however, we forsake this knowledge just to satisfy our wants. Isn't it crazy sometimes how bad we want the thing, person or place we know know isn't best for us? What we want ends up becoming more important than what we KNOW! That hit me hard. I had to sit for a moment and think about where I am currently and how I've come to this place based on satisfying my wants instead of using the God given knowledge to avoid the unnecessary consequences that life so nicely provided me...

I often tell my son that "knowledge is power" and when I say this I overlook the fact that this doesn't just apply to academics but it applies to every aspect of your life. What we know is power to dodge the many upsets in life.  To further my understanding, I looked up with the bible says about knowledge and I found that Proverbs 2:6 says "For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding". How many times have you found yourself in a situation where you heard that voice say "no ma'am"... sometimes we make God so deep... sometimes the wisdom he provides us is a simple "no" that we will try and rationalize just for what we want because somehow we end up believing what we want is better than what we know we need and what God has for us. Despite the fact that we know the signs, we know the people and things we need to disconnect ourselves from, we know the ways within us that are toxic but we still want what we want and then end up volunteer victims dealing with the consequences.

I shared this reflection with a friend who reached out to me a few days ago about a decision to end a relationship she knew had ran its course and was no longer fulfilling to her. Her struggle in making the decision that she KNEW (knowledge) had to be made was solely based on how the other party would feel and what the other person would want. As she reflected she said to me "Sometimes we are so caught up in the external; what's going to make us feel good and who we look good with, that we overlook how this distorts and stunts our growth. How can growth even take place in a place where there is no substance?" At this point, I think my friend realized she had the knowledge all along and knew exactly what needed to be done. This is many of us though, the only difference is most of us will find excuses and reasons to stay connected to that which is causes circuit shorts in our lives.



We find ourselves stuck, not because we have to be but because we choose to ABANDON WHAT WE KNOW. I'm realizing more and more that self-love and growth isn't as difficult as we believe. In fact, the more I reflect on this the more I understand how vulnerability is mandatory. What I know ultimately guides the truth. When I operate in truth I am operating from a place of wholeheartedness, which is what vulnerability is all about. Our wants cloud the truth and obscures our judgement. I used these two examples when chatting with my sister circle yesterday:

Ex. 1: Why ponder about a relationship you know is not good for you? Why stay connected to someone you don't trust? To go even further, someone who shown you they can't be trusted thus resulting in you responding with equally distrustful behaviors so what's become of this situation is two dysfunctional connected people operating in distrust... How can a relationship survive in a place where the trust has been compromised? Why spend your life wondering what the other person is constantly doing, when WHAT YOU KNOW has already shown you this isn't for you... Which brings me to this, if God is all powerful and all knowing and is showing and telling us to let a situation and or a person go, then surely he has something better in store for us. See the danger of abandoning what we know is we miss out on what's truly best for us. We never make it to see the "better" because we spend years satisfying our wants and when we do this God can't  even give you what he has for you because you wouldn't know how to handle it when you're operating from a place of satisfying your wants....You want a functional and happy relationship yet you CHOSE to spend years in a defective  one and as a result God cannot connect you with a better option because imagine the danger or that...

Ex. 2 I know that I need to be a better steward over my finances. Looking at my bank account and all the late bills, it's not rocket science to know that perhaps I should spend some time financially reflecting and SAVING... but... I find myself at the mall buying those shoes I know I don't need or eating out when we all know it's cheaper to cook a meal at home. What sense does it make to spend what you know you don't have? The reality is now you have to work 10x's harder to clean up a mess you could've avoided if only you wouldn't have abandoned what you know!

In moving forward, because it makes no sense to dwell on the past, ask yourself a couple of questions:
1. What is it that I want?
2. What is it that I know?
3. Are my wants more important than what I know?
4. What do I still need to unpack?
5. Where do I need to disconnect?
6. Do I want to suffer unnecessary consequences?

We often make things harder for ourselves simply because we refuse to utilize our knowledge. It truly makes no sense to go to school everyday and sit in class and still end up failing....

-Nique