6 or 9
Let’s think about this meme for a bit. The first thing I want to consider is what it doesn’t mean.
Some have interpreted this meme to mean that perception is important. In other words, the number on the ground could be a six or a nine depending on your perspective. I think this interpretation is wrong. The number has a meaning even if both observers differ in interpretation.
The second interpretation is that the best answer is a compromise of 7.5 +/- 1.5. In other words, avoid the debate by compromising in the middle. I also think this interpretation is wrong for the same reason, the person who placed the number on the ground intended something.
The best interpretation, in my opinion, is that one of the two observers is right and one is wrong. They need to find the person who put the number there and seek his desired meaning. Whether it is a 6 or a 9 has some meaning and only the one who put it there can absolutely determine which of the two guys is right.
Right or wrong, in this case, isn’t a moral judgement. From the information in the picture, either person could be correctly interpreting the number. The number has a correct interpretation (an absolute truth).
As a Christian, we must ferret out the absolute truths by reading the Bible. Some are spelled out in absolute terms in the Bible and should be the essential doctrines of our faith, and common among all believers of our Church. This website has a page devoted to “What We Believe and Teach” at HHCC to make clear these essential doctrines. For example, we believe God is the creator of man and of all things. If you haven’t had a chance to read them or haven’t looked at them in a while, I encourage you to click the About HHCC tab above and consider each one. (Ask Patrick or an Elder if you have any questions or concerns.)
Outside of those essential doctrines, there is a lot of theology that could be interpreted differently by different people in various stages of their faith walk. For example, Patrick has mentioned (more than a few times) that he used to believe in a secret rapture until someone asked him to support that belief through Bible passages. I’ve even heard him teach that if there is a secret rapture, great, he’ll get to come along, but if there isn’t one, he wants to study what the Bible says is going to happen.
“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” - Colossians 3:12-17 ESV
Just like the meme above, the person who created the situation is trying to communicate with us. We need help interpreting what he meant. God breathed the Bible into existence and we should use that source, in prayerful consideration, to interpret what God says we should do.
At least for me, there are many topics I don’t completely understand. I may be able to function quite well without fully understanding some of them. Others I can learn quickly, and others may take me the rest of my life to better understand. I’ve decided I’ll spend the rest of my life in pursuit of a better understanding of God’s word to grow in my faith walk. How about you?
