Ignorance or Trust?
It’s important to reflect on why people choose to present an idea or argument in a certain way. Sometimes it’s not worth engaging in certain conversations. What matters more is discerning whether a person is proactively choosing to remain in ignorance. At that point, communication becomes impossible—we can only wait on God to do His quiet work and keep praying.
The difference between "intending to remain in ignorance" and "simply choosing not to seek an answer right now" lies in whether a person is trusting God or not.
A growing sense of peace is a good indicator.
Intentionally remaining in ignorance brings restlessness and anxiety, because the person is actually aware of their own ignorance and feels compelled to justify themselves in order to appear as though they are not trapped in it.
Trusting God to reveal the answer in His time, however, brings increasing peace, because He may first guide the person to understand something else, leading to a deeper grasp of the question they once struggled with.
In all things, trust God and lean not on our own understanding.
Below is how ChatGPT wrapped up the idea—it’s nice to present it as a summary. I keep the original content above because I also want to track how my thoughts evolved and how to present the contemplation in a more easily understandable form:
Not every conversation is worth engaging in. Before we respond, it’s important to seek discernment about the heart behind a person’s words.
There are two very different postures when it comes to “not knowing”:
Willful ignorance. Some people choose to remain in ignorance even when truth is present. This choice produces unrest and anxiety, because deep down they are aware of what they are ignoring. In such cases, genuine communication is not possible. Our role is simply to entrust them to God and continue in prayer, waiting for Him to do His quiet work.
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Premise: A person intentionally chooses to stay in ignorance.
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Reasoning: They are aware of their own ignorance. To preserve it, they must actively defend it (through denial, avoidance, or argument).
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Consequence: This inner conflict creates restlessness and anxiety.
Trusting God’s timing. Others may not pursue an answer immediately, not out of resistance, but because they are waiting on God. This posture brings increasing peace, because God often prepares us to understand one truth before He reveals another. Over time, His guidance deepens understanding in ways we could not arrange ourselves.
The key indicator is peace. Willful ignorance stirs anxiety; trusting God leads to peace.
Therefore, in every situation, we are called to trust in the Lord and lean not on our own understanding.