I’m not sure why I thought about it this morning, but each of us needs data in the form to handle it. You know, a bite at a time, or the whole ball of wax. Another descriptor pops into my mind, “…the whole enchilada!” Perhaps it’s the hook, line, and sinker mentality, but most of us are drawn to a conclusion a little at a time as a perch may nibble the bait instead of swallowing it whole.
Enticements draw us to the table, though we keep our awareness up, before long, we’ve taken everything dolloped out to us, and we are sold! Let’s do it!
Back in the day, I would take a college class on a programming language because I was working on that field of study for a career. On my first day in class, a few times, I would walk in with a box that contained every result in the manual and plops it on the teacher’s desk, “Now what?” A look of surprise, “What’s this?” Every exercise in the book, I would reply. Printed results and the keypunch cards (that’s how we programmed back in the day!)
I’m not an overachiever. Rather, I absorbed the skill so easily. Nothing was a challenge, but you had to do the work if you wanted to get a grade. Or the promotion.
Some of us work best when the lessons are doled out in bite-sized morsels from which we can easily consume and grow. Others need it all at once.
It’s About Context
Put what you’re working on in the context of the moment. How quickly do you need it versus how rapidly do you absorb it and put the information to work? If your forte is Sewing/Cooking/Mechanic/Doctor, then you probably need less instruction than others, so you can take the whole ball of wax at one time and get out of it what you need for the task ahead.
In one situation, the prophet Isaiah was describing how to build up to full knowledge by:
For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept,
Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little.”
(Isaiah 28:10 NKJV)
The longer you are around a subject matter, the easier it is to absorb the information needed to progress further, but it’s best to start from the beginning.
The Apostle Peter wrote to his audience how to change their prior life into a new life like this:
Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,
as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,
(1 Peter 2:1-2 NKJV)
In this context, babies can only take in milk, and it will be a while before they can chew. Beginners need to start the right way! Isn’t this the way we all learned? Baby steps before running in the Olympics?
Baseline
The Apostle Paul took years to acquire his baseline of knowledge. He was well trained in his study of the Law. But when introduced to Jesus on the Road to Damascus, he suddenly needed more study time to retrain his understanding of the Law. What seemed baseline, and even complete, was simply the foundation for what would come in the future. In essence, the Messiah and the birth of the Church.
After receiving his sight, he spent three more years of study, and then another series of years in his home country presenting the Gospel. These were his building blocks to become the most prolific missionary, church planter, and writer. It was not an overnight experience! (Galatians 1:11-24) His college-level experience came after his conversion. Being the unique personality he was, I’m sure it took time to grasp the true light of the Law and apply it to his experience with the Messiah and the Church.
Here’s My Thought Today
I’m the Whole Ball of Wax kind of person. I absorb most subjects quickly. However, if I don’t learn the basics first, any future results are questionable. It’s foundational to know the alphabet, then how each letter produces the sounds of our speech to write and say what I read appropriately. Language, just as with any instrument you pick up to play, has a building block approach that requires practice along the way. You may have all the knowledge in your hand, but you still absorb each bite-sized lesson only as quickly as you can master it.
There are more fields of study than you can shake a stick at when it comes to technology. From the equipment to the process and the results, every slice of the pie takes a lot of skill. You don’t learn it overnight. It takes time.
If you haven’t read it lately, pick up the original Tarzan stories and read how he taught himself to understand words, ideas, and language. Impossible? Probably. I’m not sure you or I could do it! Imagine being given all the parts to an old-fashioned typewriter, and with minimal instruction, you are expected to assemble it. How long would it take? You’ve never used tools, learned mechanics, or even comprehended the intricacies of a working machine.
It’s better if we learn as we go and move at the pace best suited for us.