My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Hosea 4:6

“You don’t know what you don’t know.”

So said Pastor John to me a couple of weeks ago. It wasn’t said in a mean or condescending way. I don’t even remember the situation. As a matter of fact, I don’t think he directed the comment to me, but it’s stuck. John has a way of slipping witty little proverbs into conversation every now and then. Have you ever noticed that?

…So I’ve been very disappointed with the azaleas in the church gardens this spring- pathetic little uneven blooms half blocked by new growth. I was so disappointed (see the picture above). They were really nice last year and I had such high hopes. I have a direct view of the gardens from my office window and love to track with the seasons. What’s wrong with them?

The azaleas at my house are absolutely gorgeous right now- a solid three dimensional blanket of vivid blooms. You can barely see the leaves, they are so thick with flowers. We’d give the national arboretum a run for their money this year. The pink, purple and red are the best I’ve ever seen, simply ablaze in color. What’s the difference? Same varieties, same soil, same weather, same water, same fertilizer… wait, um… uh oh… it’s all coming back now.

This past fall time got away from me. All of the gardens needed to be cut back and we had no volunteers. The lawn service wanted a couple of thousand bucks to do it and we didn’t have the money. It was almost November and the air was getting nippy.

“How hard can this be?” I remember thinking. “I’ve got a hedge trimmer. Fire it up, baby! Let’s roll.”

In a single afternoon I trimmed the hedges at the church- the holly, the laurel, the roses… the azaleas.

This is fun, I said to myself. And easy; just like giving a buzz cut to a six year old.

Today (six months too late) I googled “How to prune Azaleas” and this is what I found:

Selective pinching of the terminal buds to increase branching can continue up until about the first week of August. Pinching or shearing must stop while there is still enough of the growing season left to allow the plants to set flower buds for the next spring’s show. Late pruning will take away the flower buds for the following year.

Oops. So I should have pruned in August, not November. Ouch!

You don’t know what you don’t know.

On a practical level, all of us have to make decisions outside of our primary area of expertise. We do it all the time. But how we approach those decision makes all of the difference. If we maintain a teachable attitude and are open to the counsel of others we can make wise decisions that won’t leave a string of unintended consequences. And in life (unlike azalea pruning) the stakes are often much higher. Who can be an expert in raising children, finances, job transitions, home maintenance, medical decisions and spousal relationships? Are you an expert in everything?

Quite frankly, I have found that there are few people who maintain a truly teachable spirit. Like me with hedge trimmers, most people prefer to just muddle through and hope for the best when with just a little effort and counsel a whole different outcome is within reach. And often when we do ask for advice we are really only looking for someone to confirm our own view of things rather than coming with the posture that we might actually have something to learn.

This is even more important on a spiritual level and with our relationship with God. One of the major names of the Holy Spirit is counselor and his role is to teach the believer (John 14:26). God desires to speak to you, to develop in you new ways of responding, thinking and acting. Are you open to God’s instruction? One of the most common rebukes to ancient Israel was:

“You stiff-necked people… you always resist the Holy Spirit!” Acts 7:51

So as God’s people let’s remain pliant and teachable, able to me molded and shaped. And let’s remain especially open to God’s Spirit. After all, you don’t know what you don’t know. If you stubbornly maintain that you know it all, it is a lonely and frustrating existence. How’s that working for you?