Quote Week: Day #6: "To Understand"

Today's Photo: "What Remains"

"There is much that we cannot understand, but our lack of comprehension neither negates nor eliminates it." - Madeleine L'Engle

There was a Sunday School teacher's meeting this week to prepare for the start of a new educational year at the church I am serving. The woman leading the meeting said, "Don't be afraid if your kids ask questions that you don't know the answers to. Just tell them that you'll get back to them next week. And then we'll ask our pastors what the answer is."
I sat with a frozen smile and wide eyes thinking to myself: "If only I knew more answers!"

Thankfully, the senior pastor piped in saying, "And then we'll tell them that many things are a mystery." And everyone smiled and chuckled.

It's funny and ironic. I think that in many ways I have more unanswered questions now than I did at the start of seminary four years ago. Like dear Madeleine says, "There is much we cannot understand." But, I love that she follows that reality up by pointing out that just because we don't understand, that doesn't make those incomprehensibles of life any less real.

I used to think it was really helpful to tell people to embrace the questions and the mysteries. And, in a lot of ways, it is nice to be able to accept the gray areas of life with open arms. However, I am quite aware that good answers are helpful, too. And that's why I talk to young people (like 10 and under) a lot about God-stuff. Their answers generally make the most sense, and usually they seem to be the ones who are most regularly conversing with God. So that's my advice. If you have a great big, nearly-impossible "God question": ask a 5-year-old. They are brilliant beyond measure.