I love hearing stories of the future unfolding. Intuitively, I know there is a probability that I am listening to fanciful fiction. Each story is one person’s imagination put to words. Often it is filled with assumptions and caveats. With great storytellers, the conditions and caveats to the story are verbal fine print which pass by like an unnoticed breeze. When I remember the details of the story, I know there was more. Because I missed it the first time, it is difficult to remember the caveats later.
In stories for entertainment, the details I miss often give me an excuse to reread and replay it again. With each occasion, more and more comes into focus. I see things with deeper color, in more nuanced ways, and the understanding grows.
The challenge lies when the story is linked to a promise. In these cases, caveats are very similar to conditions. Enjoy the vision at your own risk. The fine print which comes with the assumptions and caveats are crucial to understanding the story as an illustration or as a truth filled vision. The details will lead one to hear and see the words towards one of the two extremes.
With a mystery for enjoyment, the lack of transparency on what goes into the story is part of the joy in our quest to understand. Not knowing gives birth to curiosity. Assumptions will often lead to skillful misdirection. Caveats may help or further confuse, especially with an accurate context is hidden in the mist.
As much fun as this can be, it is soul destroying when one places one’s heart trust in commitment because of the story which followed. History suggests many became arrogantly naïve when they assumed King David’s lineage would always be on a throne. With hindsight, the caveats were clear; “If your sons stay true to my Covenant and learn to live the way I teach them, their sons will continue the line – always a son to sit on your throne.” (Psalm 132.12)
One must hear the whispers to see the full story.
