I
JUST DIDN’T KNOW

Topics: Appearances; Assumptions; Babies; Birth; Challenges; Confusion; Consequences; Ignorance; Knowledge; Motherhood; Neglect

References: Proverbs 2:1–5; 14:8; Isaiah 44:18; 50:10; John 16:21; Hebrews 5:12–14; 2 Peter 1:5–8

While an old proverb claims that ignorance is bliss, Amanda Brisendine, a twenty-six-year-old woman from Renton, Washington, would be the first to tell you that ignorance can have unexpected consequences.

Brisendine had gained thirty pounds in the past year and attributed her weight gain to eating rich foods and having quit smoking. But after several days of abdominal pain so intense that she had to stay home from work, she went to the hospital. She returned home later with a newborn son, Alexander.

Already a mother to a fourteen-month-old daughter, Brisendine was shocked when told she was nine months pregnant. She said she hadn’t experienced the typical signs of a pregnancy. “Everything was normal as far as I knew,” Brisendine said. “I don’t know how I didn’t know,” she added. “I just didn’t know.”

Her ignorance could have had serious consequences. Ultrasounds showed low amniotic fluid in the placenta. Baby Alexander was not moving properly, and he was successfully delivered by an emergency C-section.

What we don’t know can hurt us. The best antidote for spiritual ignorance is a faithful study of God’s Word so that we never have to echo Brisendine’s admission: “I don’t know how I didn’t know. I just didn’t know.”

—David Paulsen, “Woman Unaware of Pregnancy,” PreachingToday.com