On June 10, 2019, a passenger on a UK-Pakistan flight at Manchester Airport opened the emergency exit door, having mistaken it for the toilet. The plane was still on the ground at the time of the incident. That error caused a seven-hour delay to the flight! Imagine the toll that would have had on those who had time-bound appointments at Islamabad! Typically, all aircrafts are fitted with signages in appropriate places and properly labeled too. For those who perhaps are unable to read, there are drawings to indicate what’s where. Lack of thoroughness on the part of the man who opened the exit door caused him personal embarrassment and a gross delay to innocent passengers. I understand that God is in the details. There are those who like to turn that around by saying that the devil is in the details. If you pay proper attention to details, you can avoid the devil and embrace God for the greater part of your life.
God’s word emphasized the importance of following instructions. In the book of Proverbs alone, the word occurred 25 times. The frequency of its use underscores its importance. Possessing understanding has profound effects ranging from removing hiccups to outright saving of life. Imagine if the plane had taken off when such an error was committed! That would have endangered the lives of all the passengers. What we need to add here is that following instructions largely depends on our ability to read or listen correctly with understanding. Wrong interpretation of an instruction may have the same disastrous effect as not following it at all.