It is remarkably humbling and liberating to engage in a conversation with the saints in Christ who have absolutely no idea what the answer is, and are humble enough to express that.
It is sad to say that for some because they follow the One True God they somehow think they have all the One True Answers to everything. Not having the answer is a weakness. Not having an explanation means we’re not worth considering, so there is pressure to have all the answers.
I remember doing the door-to-door evangelism bit and getting some tough questions to answer. Questions like if God is so loving why did He allow the beloved Uncle to die at such an early age? At the time I didn’t have the answers and was stumped how to respond. Rather than looking at the chance to grow together and discover what could be found, I ended up umming and aahhhing till the door was politely shut in my face.
Thankfully, over the years, I have grown to appreciate faith isn’t about having the answers.
Recently I had a wonderful conversation with a brother and shared with him some of the things I endured during the diversion earlier this year. I know plenty of people who would have looked to come out with the 101 Christian Cliches to respond to this. This brother in Christ heard me out and simply said he didn’t have the answer.
Not only that, however, he offered himself to walk through the situation with me and perhaps learn what God would require of us in coming to a resolution of the matter.
That’s the stuff.
I thank God for the community of faith of broken people learning the answers to life’s answers not from books or having things told to them, but through experiences of confusion and hurt and the community of people who wait and love each other through the process.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
dmcd
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