Of the victims of the Great Depression in the United States, it has been said, that many of the individuals who suffered economically blamed themselves for their plight. These individuals believed that they were supposed to be self-reliant and be able to succeed if they were willing to work. Hence, they assumed the problem was of their own making.
Our assumptions matter. For instance, many refused to believe that Jesus was the Savior because they assumed that Jesus had been born in Nazareth (Jn 7:41-42). If we would be wise and avoid much unnecessary pain, we should identify our key assumptions then analyze them in the light of Scripture to see if they seem to be correct. As Isaiah put it, “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isa 8:20, KJV). Is the assumption that ‘all success is due to individual striving’ correct? According to the Bible, it is not.
What other assumptions might we have that should be examined? ‘God wants each of His sons and daughters to be financially prosperous.’ ‘The Lord will heal every one of His people from every sickness and disease if they will but believe.’ ‘He will not allow any of His believing children to be physically harmed.’ ‘None of those who are His can ever be successfully slandered in this life.’ ‘Miracles are not for today.’ ‘Prophets, prophecy, and speaking in tongues no longer exist.’ ‘The devil and demons are not real.’ ‘Once we make sure a choice is not contrary to Scripture, we can select whatever option we want.’ ‘If something bad happened to you, it must be your fault in some way.’ These are but a few of what might be our basic assumptions. Each of these should be examined because I believe it can adequately be demonstrated that all these assumptions are wrong. If we embrace them, or some other false assumption, we, like the Americans in the Great Depression who blamed themselves, will add needless suffering to our trials.
Instead of being timid, learn to be appropriately bold.