Happy July 11th! The 7-Eleven convenience store is the most enduring and, undoubtedly, the largest such company in the world. It began as an ice company in 1927 and became 7-Eleven in 1946 to reflect its hours of operation at the time. When they started operating 24/7, they did not change the name again because they understood something.  Hmmm…

“And in all your getting, get understanding” Proverbs 4:7b NKJV).

Understanding!

Understanding is one of my favorite words! Having knowledge is important and necessary, but knowing is passive. It simply denotes that you have some discrete, detached facts. Understanding can never be passive. It requires action. It depicts the ability to contextualize those facts to present a broad and clear picture.

When I was called back to work in 2021 after retiring in 2018, I was expected to supervise people who were doing arduous work in the International Admissions and Enrollment office of Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). I knew it was tedious and difficult, because they told me it was. I also knew that it was important work that impacted all the schools in MCPS. I asked two staff members to walk me through the multiple steps necessary to process records from the drop box and create student files. As I worked alongside them, doing what they were doing, my passive knowledge transformed into understanding.

Jesus doesn’t just know what we are dealing with, He fully understands! Jesus understands our human experience because He lived it. He came down from the highest level of royalty and authority to experience human servitude, suffering, abuse, temptation, rejection, and death! From the stable in Bethlehem to the cross outside Jerusalem, He experienced it all. He loved us enough to do that!

I’ll leave you with this. We know from reading Scripture and hearing sermons what the mind of Christ is. We also know we are supposed to have the mind of Christ. Has that knowledge transformed into understanding? Do we love Him and His people enough to do that?  

Oh—and what was it that the 7-Eleven organization understood? I’ll let you figure that out.

Focus Quote: “Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions” (Proverbs 18:2 NLT)