When Ambiguity Weakens Communication
A few weeks back, I flushed our toilet and turned away, only to hear someone whistling at me. Sheila was nowhere in sight, no one else was in the house, and I sure didn’t whistle at myself. Not too loud, and I kind of like receiving whistles, then Sheila mentioned it. Then came some YouTube research on how to fix it, which wasn’t too difficult. It worked! No whistle. I kind of missed it, but within a few days it returned, got louder, and Sheila again mentioned it.
On our next errands trek, I dropped her off at her nails salon and headed to Home Depot. In the toilet section, a young mother with a four-year-old boy in the cart (must have been a sale on boys that week) asked me if a fill valve was the same as a flush valve. They had two toilets whose leaks cost money, so her hubby sent her to get a “universal flush valve.” The choices included a fill tube valve or a flapper or the whole enchilada, so I asked if she needed a flapper, “A good question” she replied to that, and the same answer to my other questions to clarify the need.
She pulled out her phone to take pictures of all three and text him, but I found my piece and left, never learning what he really wanted. Miraculously, before I could replace the fill valve, the whistling stopped and hasn’t yet returned. But the importance of clear asking struck me. In relationships, and with God.
Ambiguity causes problems, when the words or sentence structure can have several meanings. Like when a wife sends her husband to the market to get some flour, and the poor guy sees “high-protein bread flour, medium-protein all-purpose, and low-protein cake, and various gluten-free flours, such as almond, coconut, and oat.” Thanks AI and Google!
God wants us to be specific in our prayers, and he cares about tiny details, even the number of hairs on our heads. So he’s not too busy with “real” problems that he doesn’t want to be bothered, “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Luke 12:6-7). Nothing is too small for God, and he wants us to be specific. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done” (Philippians 4:6 NLT).
Yes, there’s a tension. Other verses tell us to ask in Jesus’ name, according to his will. I’ve become very aware that God knows and loves me enough to not answer “Yes” to all my prayers, so they seem to be, “Father, I’d really like this, but I trust in you, and give me what you know is best.”
Kick Starting the Application
How specific are you in your prayers? How about in you communication with your family and close friends? What keeps you from that? What can you do this week in prayers and communication?