There's Great Danger In Jumping To Conclusions!

The story is told of a faithful dog who was a constant companion of a small child. One day, both the dog and child disappeared from their home, which was located close to the woods. A diligent search by parents, friends, and neighbors proved to be fruitless. The child could not be found.

After several hours the dog returned home covered with blood. The father jumped to the conclusion that the dog had become vicious and killed the child. He incorrectly reasoned that the dog must be destroyed, so he got his gun and killed the dog.

Later that same day, search teams found the child in the woods unharmed. Nearby was the body of a mountain lion that the dog had killed in his struggle to protect the child.

This story illustrates the fact that like the father, we are sometimes guilty of “jumping to conclusions.” We are often prone to quickly take action or express our opinions before all the facts are known and taken into account. The results are usually unpleasant and sometimes irreparable damage is done.

Beloved, until we have all the facts of a matter, we need to be extremely careful about what we think, say, or do, because we might be guilty of shooting a dog that ought to be praised!

Let’s hear the Word of the Lord in the matter: 

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:19-20; cf. Proverbs 10:19; Proverbs 14:17; Proverbs 16:32; Proverbs 17:27).

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets