Are you puddle-jumping to conclusions?

Through presumption comes nothing but strife, but with those who receive counsel is wisdom. - Proverbs 13:10 (NASV)

We all do it. Yep, sometimes we think too much ... presume to know too much.

We hear something and immediately, we’re jumping to conclusions. Our arrogance leads us there. We’re sure we can read the situation. She said that because … If that happened, then this must mean … He hasn’t called, so he must not … My boss just stopped and questioned me, so he must think …

Some of this amateur detective scenario-building is harmless, and occasionally, it might even hit the mark. But most of the time, it’s dangerous and often disastrous, especially if the conclusions we jump to are erroneous … and they generally are, tricks played on us by an over-active imagination, deductions arrived at without all the facts or information. False accusations, arguments, withdrawal, broken relationships, sleeplessness and many other harmful actions have resulted from these leaps into what we presume to know in our minds.

Take illness for instance. Maybe you’re waiting for test results, or someone with your same diagnosis has taken a downward turn and died. If you let your imagination run wild, you may begin to think the worst and cause yourself great anxiety for nothing. You may even throw away your hope, deciding, “If it happened to him, it’ll happen to me.” Many people hinder their own healing process by the things they presume to know. They become agitated; their blood pressure increases; their immune system becomes depressed; their body simply can’t fight at maximum potential.

That’s why God tells us to leave the future to Him. In Matthew 6:34, Jesus says, “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

And the psalmist tells us in Psalm 3:3 how he deals with those anxious, fearful thoughts when they pile up or the presumptions about the future or someone’s motives increase, “But you, O Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts my head high.” And again in Psalm 3:5, “I lay down and slept. I woke up in safety, for the Lord was watching over me.”

When we refrain from letting our minds grapple with the unknown, presuming to know what has yet to be revealed … when we set our hearts and thoughts on God instead, resting in Him to take care of what we don’t know, there is peace, safety, life, hope.