What he thought was the greatest heist in the history of bank robbery became the dumbest.
McArthur Wheeler robbed 2 banks in Pittsburg in 1995. He had a gun but didn’t have a mask on. By 11:00 pm, his video taken by the CCTV camera was all over the news. By midnight, he was arrested. While he was being taken into custody, he was shouting, “But I wore the juice!”
Puzzled, the police asked him what he meant. Apparently, he learned that you can use lemon juice as invisible ink. So he smeared his face with lemon juice hoping that his face would be invisible to the bank security cameras. He was gravely mistaken.
This prompted 2 men, David Dunning and Justin Kruger, both from Cornell University to do a study which eventually became known as the Dunning-Kruger effect. It is when a person overestimates his ability. Those most lacking in knowledge and skills are least able
to adequately assess that lack.
We see this when we watch a basketball game where we feel we’re better than the players or in the America’s Got Talent where people who audition overestimate their talents.
It is possible to carry this over our spiritual walk with God. We think we can do a better job than God. We may not articulate it but we have definitely thought it.
“If only God gave me that promotion, I wouldn’t be in a financial mess today.”
“If only God provided us a baby, my husband and I would still be together.”
“If only God healed my mom of cancer, I wouldn’t be as messed up.”
This is the Dunning-Kruger effect at work spiritually.
But do we really know more than He does?
Isaiah 55:8-9 (NLT) says, “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”
We don’t see the end from the beginning, but He does because He is the Alpha and the Omega.
We don’t know how things will pan out for we don’t have the full view of the things to come.
But because He does, then we can have confidence as we trust Him with all our hearts, not leaning on our own understanding, trusting Him in all our ways so He can direct our paths. (see Proverbs 3:5-6)
Facebook Comments