I launch today's little nugget on something from Oswald Chambers' April 29th entry from "My Upmost For His Highest". He comments that "certainty is the mark of the common-sense life: gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life." For guys like me, this is not always good news.
I was talking recently with a newfound friend about our mutual control freak tendencies. About the fear that comes with a lack of ability to control. Think about the things you fear the most, and they almost always hearken back to some kind of lack of control. Death itself (what most people most fear) is the ultimate example of a lack of control. Its a scary proposition. Or it would be if God weren't involved.
In C.S. Lewis' "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe", Lewis uses the character Aslan, a lion, to represent God. There is a moment toward the end of the book when two human characters, Susan and Lucy, are wrestling playfully with Aslan; him tossing them about in his enormous paws. The picture is a pleasant one until you think about the fact that these girls are wrestling WITH A LION! Earlier in the story, when the humans first hear of Aslan one asks "Is he safe?" to which a talking beaver (read the story, it makes sense) responds "Heavens no he isn't safe. But he's good."
And so is the news of this uncertainty. While we are uncertain of our next step, we are certain of the one who goes on ahead of us, the one in whose footsteps we are following. This should bring with it a sense of awe and a breathless expectation. We are on a journey with God. And with God, all that we might fear disappears (although, we're human, so it will return along the way) and our life becomes an exciting adventure. We take the hand of God like a child would a parent and are, as Chambers states, "certain in our uncertainty"; confident that we don't know the way, but that God does. Jesus calls us not to simply believe in things about him, but to believe in him in such a way that we would put our whole life, and all our control, in his hands.
2 comments:
Chris - I'm a lurker no more.
Your comment today resonates with me greatly. What scares me is that I'm only 26 and I've already noticed a consistent pattern to my life: every year I think I get dumber. The "gracious uncertainty" that you (and Chambers) mention is perhaps a good thing!
Sounds like the path to wisdom to me. The pursuit of knowledge leads to the knowledge of how little we know. And yet, it is still a worthwhile excercise. This mixture of knowledge and humility is something we call wisdom. Thanks for sharing. Good selections of music, books, and movies. I am actually reading The Myths America Lives By for the first time. Great stuff.
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