Dangerous Assumption

Text: Proverbs 18:13
“Whoever gives an answer before he listens is stupid and shameful” (GNT)

There is a legend about a woman who had a faithful dog. This dog was so faithful that the woman could leave her baby with it and go out to attend to other matters. She always returned to find the child soundly asleep with the dog faithfully watching over him.

One day something tragic happened, the woman as usual left the baby in the “hands” of this faithful dog and went shopping. When she returned, she discovered a rather nasty scene, there was a total mess, the baby’s cot was dismantled, nappies and clothes torn to shreds with bloodstains all over the bedroom where she left the child and the dog. Shocked, the woman wailed as she began looking for the baby, suddenly she saw the faithful dog emerging from under the bed, covered with blood and licking its mouth as if it had just finished a delicious meal. The woman went berserk and assumed that the dog had devoured her baby. Without much thought, she clubbed the dog to death. But as she continued searching for the “remains” of her child, she beheld another scene. Close to the bed was the baby, who although lying on bare floor was safe, and under the bed the carcass of a jackal torn to pieces in what must have been a fierce battle between it and the already dead dog. The dog fought to protect the baby from the ravenous jackal but it was too late because in her impatience and anger, she had killed the faithful dog.

“This calls for consideration, there is need to be careful on how we are often quick to misjudge others, criticize, misinterpret based on myopic prejudice or even in some other cases tear them to shreds with harsh words, attitudes and actions before we actually have time to evaluate the situation.

We can presume things based on hearsay, inadequate information, already biased attitude whereas a little patience can minimize or eliminate lifelong errors. “He, who judges a matter before hearing it, most times acts foolishly and makes irrational conclusions”.
Our prayer should be as David prayed in this psalm 19:13: that the Lord would keep us from presumptuous sins and that they would not have dominion over us.