From the Head of Junior School, South Plympton

Blinded by assumptions: when preconceived ideas hide the truth

We all have assumptions we carry into conversations, relationships, and even our faith. I remember once taking a huge bite out of a white bar of soap. This bar of soap had sat on my desk all day, and I had been convinced that it was white chocolate. I was so proud that I had got to the end of the day without eating it. Then I weakened, took the biggest bite only to find myself foaming at the mouth while gagging on this soap. How could I have possibly seen soap as chocolate?

Preconceived ideas can keep us from seeing people as they really are and can prevent us working with them in the way God intended. They can also affect how we read a situation, and they can inhibit how we see God at work.

In Scripture, we read about the men on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:14-31). In a conversation with the risen Jesus, they said;

“But we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel...” 

After Jesus’ crucifixion, these two disciples expressed disappointment that Jesus didn’t fulfil their assumption of a political Messiah who would deliver Israel from Roman rule. Their misconception prevented them from 'seeing' Jesus.

In Mark 10:13-14,  the disciples assumed that Jesus wouldn't want to be bothered with children. 

“People were bringing little children to Jesus... but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant.” 

Nathanael, one of Jesus’ disciples, was almost blinded to the truth by his initial assumptions, believing that nothing good could come from Nazareth. John 1:45-46

Philip had excitedly told Nathanael that he had found the Messiah, but Nathanael was immediately sceptical, not because of what Jesus said, but because of His hometown.

Nazareth was a small, insignificant town with no religious prestige or significance in Jewish tradition. 

No doubt Nathanael had a mental image of what the Messiah would look like, where He would come from, what His background would be, how He would speak and act. Jesus certainly didn’t fit that mould.

Our preconceived ideas about how God should work can keep us from recognising how He is working.  

Just like Nathanael, we sometimes miss Jesus because He doesn't arrive or work in the way we expect. We want miracles, but He gives us slow growth or an answer we didn’t expect or want at the time. We ask for a sign, but He gives us a whisper, or remains silent. We expect kings, but He comes as a carpenter.

How many times have we rejected something, or someone, because they didn’t match our expectations? 

Maybe we think God can’t speak through a child or someone younger than us, someone less experienced than us, someone who has a different background than us. 

Scripture repeatedly shows us that God delights in using the unexpected: a stuttering Moses, a shepherd boy named David, a foreign widow named Ruth, and a baby born in a manger.

If we hold too tightly to our assumptions, we risk missing the truth standing right in front of us. 

These assumptions can cloud our perception, preventing us from seeing people and situations as they truly are. They can also hinder our ability to recognise how God is at work in our lives and in the world around us. 

In our journey of faith, it's essential to challenge our assumptions and remain open to the ways God chooses to work. 

Liz Hinrichsen

Head of Junior School, South Plympton