I am not sure if there was or is any person in this world who was never misunderstood. Moses was misunderstood by the Israelites, David was misunderstood by Saul, Jesus was misunderstood by his own brothers, and the apostle Paul (Saul) was misunderstood by the rest of the apostles…the list goes on. No matter where you live and how you live, there are always some who have a different perception of things; or should I say they have a different way of looking at things.
One of the deepest desires of every human being is to be understood. In fact that is one of the biggest cries of the youth of our generation… “Please understand us, do not judge us”. This reminds me of a biblical passage which helps us reflect on the problem of misunderstanding. 1 Samuel 1:12-14 notes “As she kept on praying to the LORD, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, “How long will you keep on getting drunk? Get rid of your wine.”
Moses was misunderstood by the Israelites, David was misunderstood by Saul, Jesus was misunderstood by his own brothers…
Her name was Hannah; she was a very God fearing woman who was praying for a child. Eli was a great man of God, however, he was still human. He saw this woman at the temple. He noticed that her lips were moving, and it is probable that she was mourning with tears because the Bible says “In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD” (Vs. 10). He made a judgment that she was drunk and was suggesting her to get rid of her wine. Does that sound horrible to you?
Of all the places in the world she was misunderstood in the temple of the Lord. Of all the people, she was misunderstood by the man of God.
Well, of all the places in the world she was misunderstood in the temple of the Lord. Of all the people, she was misunderstood by the man of God. Of all the times, she was misunderstood when she was praying. Does that indicate anything to you? I think it just shows that there is no time, no person and no place where people are free from being misunderstood. We could be misunderstood anywhere, by anybody and at any time. So if you are misunderstood do not be surprised by it.
There could be several reasons for misunderstandings, but one important reason we notice here is Eli’s limited knowledge of things and people. We often have very limited understanding of the complexities of other’s life and situation. In spite of the fact that we do not know enough, we still tend to make judgments on the basis of our limited awareness of the person or situation. Our judgments are based on what we see, what we think, what we hear, what we feel…etc.
Eli fell into this trap, he judged before he took time to understand. It is sad that we seldom take time to ask the person or listen to the person first hand. We prefer to assume things rather than ask people and get to know their side of the story. Well, next time you are tempted to make a judgment, just pause and think, after all it could be just your impression and has nothing to do with the truth. In the words of Francis of Assisi “Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted; to understand, than to be understood; to love, than to be loved.” Let’s take time to understand and listen before we conclude, judge and label people.
In spite of the fact that we do not know enough, we still tend to make judgments on the basis of our limited awareness of the person or situation.
– – Author: Rev. Francis Burgula – –
