TMI -- Another Nekked Story

T.M.I. – Too much information. Have you ever told someone that? Has anyone ever told you that? You know some people will tell you something for the sheer shock factor of it…just to see how you will react. In my line of work, I can honestly tell you that I’ve been told things that would make your stomach curdle and your eyelids curl. My goal is to simply look at the person without expression and follow-up with more questions if I choose to chase the rabbit. We’ve had insureds submit pictures of the most intimate and grotesque things thinking we won’t follow-up or ask questions. We’ve had insureds confess to things in statements and in depositions that are completely unrelated to the claim at hand, but they tell us to unburden themselves OR to get us off the track we are on.


Have you ever read the Bible and thought – TMI? Or wondered why in the world did they put that information in the Bible? It doesn’t seem to fit with anything else? I have to admit I thought that when I read about Noah getting drunk and laying nekked in his tent. When I read a story in the Bible, I read it multiple times. I’ll read it from one translation and then another transliteration. I’ll consult a couple of commentaries, and then I read it again trying to put myself in that person’s place. What do I see? What do I hear? What might I be thinking? But I have to tell you, I am having difficulty with the nekked Noah. First of all, TMI – he’s 600 plus years old, laying nekked and drunk in his tent. I just don’t want to have to visualize that!

So, why was this put in the Bible? What am I supposed to get out of it? There are two things I’ve gleaned from this story. The first is this. When you see someone has made a poor decision, how you handle it can make a big difference in the outcome. Ham saw his daddy nekked and drunk, and instead of keeping it confidential and using discretion, he goes and gets his brothers. He tells them what their father has done. We don’t know how he told them. We don’t know if he was laughing or ridiculing his father. We just don’t know. What we do know is that Ham didn’t treat his daddy with dignity. When someone has made a poor choice, treating them with dignity is a huge step in showing them the love of Christ, don’t ya think? Who are you to judge someone else? The Bible says, “Judge not lest ye be judged” (Luke 6:37).

The next thing I learned was about words spoken. Did Noah make a bad choice? Yes. Did he abuse what God had provided? Yes. Noah, however, gets angry for being humiliated by his son and curses him. Noah’s words penetrate. His words continue to be heard in generations to come. The lineage of Jesus would come from Shem (the blessed), but the curse went to Ham. Ham’s offspring would continue to feel the effects of the curse throughout the Bible. The words we say to our children matter. Are we cursing them, or are we blessing them? Are we building them up and encouraging them even through discipline, or are we tearing them down? Sometimes the less said is better.

Treat people with dignity, especially if you haven't walked in their shoes. You may not agree with their lifestyle or their choices but by treating them with dignity, you may have an opportunity to win them to the Lord.