What You Don’t Know Can’t Hurt You! Really?

Is summer really over? I had planned refreshing walks at the ocean with my sweetheart and frequent trips to the park with my grandchildren, but my summer turned out very differently.It was mostly work and lots of it!

Instead, we took down wallpaper, painted the walls, the trim, the doors, even the door knobs. But the most challenging job was the ceilings. When Wayne and I built our house 18 years ago, popcorn ceilings were on their way out, but I didn’t know that. The popcorn finish fit my budget and I liked the look just fine. Mostly because I didn’t know about the other choices. The popcorn finish looked good back then, but it was dated and had to go at the Holland house. Out with the popcorn and in with the nice, fresh smooth ceilings!

I should have asked more questions when we had the ceiling done. I should have looked at some ceilings in other new homes going up in our area. But I didn’t. Now, after hours and hours of spraying and scraping and spreading drywall mud, we are almost done. Wayne doesn’t even want to hear the word popcorn.

While I understand the word “popcorn”makes him cringe, I still pop a bag every night for my evening snack.  I smile at him while I eat my popcorn, but that doesn’t ease his pain. Not the fattening, greasy or expensive variety, but the loose kernels that come in a plastic bag at some grocery stores. Did you know you can pop loose popcorn in a paper bag in the microwave? Save some money and calories because 3 cups of popcorn has only 93 calories. I’ll tell you how at the bottom of this post. Surely, you expected at least one wild bunny trail from me.

I wished I had known that popcorn ceilings were no longer fashionable! If I had made a different choice then, it would have saved us so much work and money now. The idiom, “What you don’t know can’t hurt you!” is idiotic. Ask the person that doesn’t check out a lump, only to discover too late that it was cancer. Ask the driver of an automobile after he hits a car that he didn’t see, what he thinks about the idiom, “what you don’t know CAN’T hurt you.” Or try using the excuse, “I didn’t know the speed limit was 35,” when stopped by a policeman for speeding.

We gathered copious instructions from internet pages brimming with DIY advice, videos and expert tutorials that showed us how to remove the yucky concoction from the ceiling. People that have done it successfully offered insightful suggestions and warnings.

“What you don’t know CAN hurt you,” especially when it comes to spiritual Truth. There are many, many voices declaring truth. But they fall short. They are only:

• Opinions. Opinions endorsed by celebrity power.
• Promises. Fulfillment. Happiness. Success.
• Options. Options applauded by peace promising promoters.
• Paths. Religions promising they possess the path to truth.

Path to TRUTH?

Religion.

Rules.

Regulations.

Will power.

Self-help.

DIY path to God.

Multiple choice?

Whatever makes you feel good.

Do what YOU think is right.

Hog wash! That’s right! Hog wash. I’m sorry, but all paths don’t lead you to God. And just because someone can talk doesn’t mean they are right. And while I’m there, just because someone can act, or get married five times or get elected to office somewhere, doesn’t mean they are an authority on truth.

Truth doesn’t change with the culture or popular vote. Truth doesn’t change. Truth is an absolute. It doesn’t matter if you like it, but it does matter if you know it, because when believed and received it will set you free.It matters what you know, who you know and what you do with what you know- especially when it come to Truth.

Truth is Jesus. If you’re going down any path with any god besides Jesus, you’re headed to destruction.

John 14:6 NIV Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Because Jesus is the way, we must be a Christ follower to experience Truth.

Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”

• Father, what do I need to know?
• What are you saying to me, right where I am today?
• Is there an area in my life that I am walking in darkness?
• Are there dark attitudes hiding in the crevices of my heart?
• Are there motives that are contrary to your plan for my life?

What ya don’t know can hurt ya, so ask for wisdom and seek knowledge to put that wisdom to work for you. Whether it is popcorn ceilings or popping inexpensive popcorn in a paper sack there is a wise way to get it done. And speaking of popcorn, those bags of butter soaked popcorn are expensive and unhealthy. I discovered you can take a regular lunch sized paper bag or slightly larger one, add 1/3 cup of dry popcorn. Roll down the top a couple of times. Be sure to stand the popcorn up and pop for two minutes. Microwaves vary so stop the Microwave when the popping stops. Empty the popped corn into a bowl. I love to spray the popcorn with cooking spray and salt, especially garlic salt and Cayenne pepper or my favorite seasoned salt. YUM!