In Working for Uncle Henry, Henry gives his nephew Parker this warning. It's a piece of dialogue that came to me but also made me think and ask myself "how often do I criticize things I really don't understand?" I didn't like my answer.
We all have opinions. Some of us more than others. Some of us feel compelled to share our opinions more than others. I might be one of them, sometimes anyway. While I would like to think I've gained a little wisdom and discretion with age, Henry made me realize I still have room for improvement. I expect most of us do.
So what do we do with our opinions? Henry's challenge can be a good starting place. Certainly it isn't wrong to have opinions. God did give us brains to think beyond what he gave the rest of creation. Often our opinions are about things we know little about in the grand scheme. Admitting that can give us pause to consider the other side of the story, and there is ALWAYS at least one other side.
When we haven't walked in someone else's shoes, we can't fully understand them. And there will be many things we never understand. We don't have to. But we do have to admit we don't understand and share our opinions, when needed, bathed in that admission.
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