The Great Freezing Water Debate...

From Morguefile

I saw  this article  about how hot water freezes faster than cold water yesterday and I was reminded of a time when I was in maybe tenth grade and there was a young man, it might have been a guy from Teen Challenge, who was giving his testimony and during it he said something about being told that hot water freezes faster than cold water.

One of my youth leaders, who was a science teacher, spoke up and said that's impossible.  It defies logic.  It can't happen.  She wouldn't let him use the illustration that he was trying to use because, come on, there is no way hot water could freeze faster than cold water.

Turns out she was wrong.

It's funny that the incident has stuck with me for thirty years - her absolute insistence that she was right to the point of obnoxiousness - the dumbfounded look on the young man's face when she wouldn't let him proceed.

Sounds like a Pharisee, doesn't it?

And she is a tremendous woman of God - that moment was so out of character, which may be why it sticks with me.

How easy it is to assume we know better about things - especially things that we are "experts" at.  She knew science, so while she had never conducted this particular experiment, she felt confident she could draw the proper conclusion.

It's the same trap we can all fall into - any time we think we know better - especially when we don't have all the facts...