“expert” opinions….

A few years ago, I was on a plane – a rare occurrence for me – and fell into a conversation with the woman sitting in the next seat. It was one of those odd times where you hit it off with a stranger and spend the next hour talking as if you were lifelong friends. We started off with the requisite “where are you heading” and quickly moved onto a myriad of other subjects.

One of the surprising things that I learned in our brief time as “flight friends” was that she was a blogger. And I don’t mean just any blogger. She was kind of a ghost writer for a really popular blog that I – along with the rest of the universe – had been lead to believe was written by a rather famous personality. Oh, I’m sure the handsome guy whose face appears on the website started the whole thing, but at some point it had probably grown to a point that it wasn’t possible for one person to keep up with. (Note to readers: please share this a million times so that this becomes a problem I also have.)

Anyway, since my seat sister and I were sharing all kinds of secrets, (but, shhhh!!) she told me how she researched and wrote blog posts for this popular site that were then published under a household name rather than her own. I found this to be completely engrossing information. First of all, it was almost unbelievable to me that anything on the internet was a secret (unless I’m the only person who didn’t know, which is entirely possible); and second, the person whose name she was writing under is considered by many to be an expert in his field.

So all this begs the question, “If you are reading something by a so-called expert, how do you know that person is actually an expert?” For that matter, how do you even know the “expert” is the person who wrote what you are reading?

You don’t.

What got me to thinking about this today was a conversation I had with a friend. We were talking about a current trend – kind of a hot topic on which we fell on opposite sides. She thought one way; I thought the other – and never the twain shall meet.

After we spoke, I stopped and thought for a while about whether I was right to stick to my guns. After all, she could cite “expert” opinions that supported her view. And wouldn’t it just be simpler for me to give in, say that she was probably right, and sweep the whole thing under the rug? Wouldn’t going along to get along qualify me to be a peace maker (who we’ve heard shall be blessed)?

Here’s the thing: my viewpoint is based on my values which have been shaped by Biblical truths. So is the Bible true only when it is convenient? Do I throw out those values as soon as someone disagrees with them so that I don’t make waves?

To answer those questions, I went back to my source, the Bible. The phrase that was running through my mind was “lean not on your own understanding.” That snippet comes from Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

Reading that made it pretty plain. It doesn’t say in some of your ways acknowledge Him, or whenever it happens to be convenient. And it doesn’t say to do it until someone disagrees with you or until you find an “expert” opinion. It says, “in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

And isn’t direction what we’re all looking for? Isn’t that what all those internet searches are really about – how to do things the right way? We all want to know the shortest, most direct route from point A to point B. We want to know that we’ve chosen the best methods, read the right reviews and picked the perfect products.

But there’s just so much information. And there’s no real way to tell if your expert is an expert on anything more than getting folks to click on their link.

There is only one sure-fire way to know what is right. There is only one true Expert. And you don’t even need an internet connection to find the directions and methods that He recommends (though I’m not above a quick key word search when I’m looking for a particular scripture passage).

Well, what about getting along? Aren’t we supposed to love our neighbor and all that jazz?

Let’s be honest. Sometimes it is very difficult to avoid a disagreement. In fact, I’m going to go so far as to say that it’s impossible. If you always agree with everyone else, you can’t really have any convictions of your own. This doesn’t mean that we have to let things disintegrate into an all-out war. We are called to love our neighbors – not pummel them into seeing things our way.

So what lies between going along with someone else and starting a battle with them? How about acknowledging Him.

If you really love your neighbors, your family, your friends, let them see you acknowledge Him. And let them see it in all your ways. When they ask why you won’t capitulate, acknowledge Him. When they tell you all the reasons you are wrong, acknowledge Him. They may not ever agree with you. But it is really difficult to argue with someone whose path is being directed by God rather than by human understanding.

Don’t hide the fact that you’re following the Expert of all experts.