One of the reasons we can never be 100% certain, when judging things by our own eyes and by natural appearance, is that we are limited in our sight. Without revelation from the Spirit of God we are very one sided and self protective in our decision making.
The human mind judges things, in part, based on past experiences – and we sometimes find it easier to sympathize with someone if we’ve had that same experience. But we might also go back to that experience, even subconsciously, and use it as a plumb line for discerning other circumstances: those may be times when we find ourselves coming to the wrong conclusion.
Even when we’re absolutely sure we’ve discerned a situation correctly, it may be a good idea to step back and ask God what’s behind the scenes that we can’t see. When we want to move in and ‘fix’ it, there may be something deeper under the surface of the situation that is much bigger than we anticipated or much different than we judged from our perspective.
In short, we know in part, it’s really that simple. And giving others the benefit of that understanding is one way of working through situations whose endings are potentially toxic.
Our confidence is in the Lord – we cannot have confidence in our flesh and our ability to understand more than we have confidence in God’s way of dealing with difficulties. We’re not called to have a ‘bull in a China shop’ mentality: a thoughtful and reflective spirit gives room and time for the Lord to move and it keeps us from doing damage to ourselves and others when we lack full understanding.
“The Lord's slave must not quarrel, but must be gentle to everyone, able to teach, and patient, instructing his opponents with gentleness. Perhaps God will grant them repentance leading them to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim 2:24-25)
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