More Questions Than Answers

I have more questions than answers, and I want to keep it that way.

This might seem like an unusual approach, but I hope as we embark on this journey together, you'll begin to see why. Why should we approach our life with more questions than answers? We think there are several reasons. Let's explore a few of these.

We have all been told that the moment we think we have all the answers, we stop learning, and it is true. Once we've formed an opinion on a subject, we tend not to explore new facts that might contradict our answers. There's an old saying: "We are all ignorant, just in different areas." Certainly, this is true. This is why listening is more important than talking. We have to work at listening well. We need to ask thoughtful questions to pull out the nuances, issues, and the history of the people we meet. It is a joy to learn from other people's life journeys. Our own life journey has a big impact on how each of us responds to our questions.

Have you ever met someone and thought, "Wow, I would have never guessed all they had to overcome"? It makes it hard to judge them when you hear their story. We see a world so divided today; it feels like we are more committed to disproving the other person's position than living our own. My dad always reminded me, "A person convinced against his will is of the same opinion still."

No, I'm not naive. We will never agree on all things. The Bible tells us clearly we will have only partial understanding in this life. If we only know in part, we must stay in a posture of discovery. You may have forgotten this truth. I know I often need a reminder of this.

There are two Bible references regarding our only knowing in part. I want to share them with you:

• 1st Corinthians 13:9 through 10 and 12: "For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known."

• Isaiah 55:8: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord."

It is clear none of us has the whole picture; therefore, we must, at least for now, wrestle with some unanswered questions or imperfect answers. Discovering who God is and how His kingdom is different from ours is part of this life journey.

It would be nice to have all the answers. In fact, not having the answers causes most of us a fair amount of discomfort. It is important for all of us to acknowledge the limits of each of our own understanding. It might even be possible this tension of less than certainty exists for our benefit.

What does this mean? Less certainty in life should cause a few positive outcomes for us:

1)    We should learn to be better listeners. We all need to learn from others even those we disagree.

2)   We should continue to press into greater truth. What we know today or yesterday to grow as we become aware of new truth. A life of Discovery is a healthy natural condition. God created Mysteries so we could pursue greater understanding. It does something to us to seek after and discover new things, it should bring us joy, more love for him, for his kingdom, and for our fellow man should be an outgrowth of this.

3)    In life of Discovery should also help us to remember our dependent on others people and God, we learn in lots of ways. well his truth is unchanging, our imperfect understanding of Truth should always be changing

4)    God cares enough about our well-being, of our soul, to send us on a journey for our entire lifetime. It should lead us closer and closer to him, and greater and greater truth. We must not be walking concordances but growing children discovering new things.

5)    This journey will require some humility as well. I do not know it all, and we might find this more attractive than others than in ourselves. Humility is a wonderful teacher, but it's just not easy to volunteer for it. This will take effort; it will lead to some detours and dead ends, but we will learn to move with Him. He is the only long-term real solution to our lack of understanding. We, on our own accord, will always end up in division and animosity. But He always lifts us up; He patiently waits for us to hunger for more, to reach for Him. He always meets us in our seeking.

If we seek Him, we will find Him. The world was made and designed by God; therefore, He is the best source for us to see greater understanding and wisdom to live as we should in this world. It will never come from just our understanding or our limited life experiences or even online computer searches.

We must seek to discover how He continually and patiently draws us into His awesome plan. We each carry a unique part of His kingdom; He created each of us with a different journey, with different gifts and assignments. Discover more about yourself and others; it will bring you lasting joy and a childlike wonder of the world He established.Get to know our materials and tools for you to understand yourself better, communicate better, and relate better to others.