Knowledge is a tricky matter. We often like to think that we know a lot (I know I do), but knowledge itself can exist on a wide variety of levels. At times, what we consider knowledge is merely the accumulation of tradition and hearsay from others. This is, of course, knowledge on the most superficial of levels. Other knowledge is more profound, but on the intellectual level. Head knowledge is somewhat easy to obtain, and at times we can grasp some genuine ways of knowing how to apply such head knowledge. That application is likely to feel much less comfortable than that knowledge that we are able to practice on a regular basis. Yet that is how we grow, by adding knowledge from outside and by practicing it until it becomes habitual and until we gain the benefits from that knowledge that result from practice.

One of the most obvious stories about knowledge is that of the tree of the knowledge of good & evil. The Hebrew expression for knowledge does not mean mere intellectual knowledge, but also experience. When the Bible talks about a man “knowing” his wife, that knowledge is not mere acquaintance or familiarity, but it is knowledge of the most intimate and profound kind. When we think about the knowledge of good and evil, the sort of knowledge that we have of good and evil may itself be head knowledge but more often it involves a deep kind of experience. This experience is deeply corrupting, robbing us of hope, joy, innocence, faith, and trust, among other things. Yet this is the way that we have chosen for ourselves. We do not really know people, or know a way, without knowing in the most intimate and deep way. Yet that which we know that deeply we let into the deepest parts of our heart and being, and it is not an easy matter to determine who or what to bring that far inside of us.

How are we to bridge the gulf between intellectual knowledge and experience? Additionally, how are we to apply those things we do know in our lives so that it serves a practical purpose? First of all, we must build a framework of that which is worth knowing. By building a proper foundation we are able to build up our lives and our competence from there. Then we have to have the courage to step out beyond the familiar and step out on faith and expand what we are comfortable with. Sometimes comfort comes only at length and with extreme effort, but if there is something that we want in life that we really are committed to reaching and developing, that often requires a lot of time and a lot of work. If it is worthwhile, though, that chasm has to be bridged as best as we are able to do.

Why do we put ourselves through this? Ultimately, to know and not to do is not to know. We put ourselves through the effort of self-improvement and self-discipline not because we are gluttons for punishment, but because we have in mind a better future than we can achieve without growth. If what we want is a vivid enough and bright enough future, though, we are willing to go through the present discomfort in order to enjoy a better life to come. That better future can vary widely, but there are some things worth getting to know far better than merely in the head, even if they require a lot of work. Some things, and some people, are worth getting to know. Finding out what is worth knowing and then getting to know it well is a difficult task, but the fruits are worth it.