Have you ever received a message from God and couldn’t wait to share it with those close to you? Have you had an idea that you were excited about and wanted to tell everyone you knew? It’s normal to want to share our lives with others. If this weren’t the case, Facebook, Instagram, and the like would have no purpose.
We were created as social beings and not designed to live apart from other people. As we share our lives, it’s important to understand why we’re giving details about a situation. Are we providing information or looking for affirmation? There’s a distinction between the two, and they can impact our lives.
The definition of information is the knowledge communicated or received concerning a particular fact or circumstance. The purpose is to inform or advise. There’s no expectation of a response or acceptance. It’s simply a transfer of details from one to another. Affirmation, on the other hand, is an assertion that something exists or is true, confirmation or ratification of the truth or validity of a prior judgment or decision. With affirmation, information passes to a receiver, and the giver waits for approval of the information. This creates a hold in the giver’s life as s/he anticipates the receiver’s response. Forward progress is stunted in hopes of positive affirmation. This is a vast difference from information. It’s important to decide in advance the purpose of our sharing: information or affirmation.
We can look in the Bible and see people who decided between the two, such as:
*Mary when she told Joseph she was pregnant;
*Jesus when He told the Pharisees about destroying the temple;
*God when He told Abram to leave his homeland.
All were instances of information and not affirmation.
The Story: Genesis 6-7
We will turn our attention to Noah in Genesis 6-7. This account begins with the people of the earth intermingling, although God told them to remain separate. Their disobedience and wickedness displeased God, and He decided to destroy every living thing (6:7). Before He executed His plan, He chose Noah and his family to restart civilization. Noah was blameless before God and walked in fellowship with Him. Therefore, God trusted him with His plan. God relayed His plan to Noah by telling him that He would destroy all living creatures with a flood, but Noah and his family would be saved along with two of every kind of animal. Their salvation would come from the boat God assigned Noah to build. The obedient Noah did exactly what God assigned him to do.
In the days of Noah, the people weren’t familiar with rain or floods. The idea of Noah building a boat for a flood was preposterous and crazy, yet Noah did it anyway. Now, imagine the questions and responses of the people who witnessed Noah’s actions.
What are you doing?
Building an Ark.
A what?
A boat because a flood is coming.
A what?
Flood
What is that?
Water is going to fill the earth because God isn’t pleased.
Oh, here you go again. Nonsense. Well, you go ahead, Mr. Boat Builder.
The Lesson
The people’s cynical response didn’t deter Noah because he only gave them information. He didn’t look for them to approve of his action because God spoke. He trusted God’s Word more than the opinions of others.
The fact is Noah had the option of choosing affirmation over information. He could’ve sided with the people and believed that building a boat was a foolish undertaking. This would’ve resulted in the death of Noah and his family. But God knew the type of person Noah was.
Therefore, are we trustworthy? Can God rest knowing we will fulfill His purpose for our lives? Does God’s plan compete with others’ affirmations? Will we give information on the plan and move forward? Or will we stall and wait for the affirmation? As a result, we have a decision to make. Remember, our decision means life or death.
