Sorry – I Don’t Know

questionsOften, people ask me questions I don’t know the answer to. Some are practical: how do you fix a washing machine? Why do you talk like that? What’s the square root of (basically, anything)?

Sometimes ignorance doesn’t matter. But sometimes it feels positively wrong. Like you’re letting others down.  Like you’re letting down God. Questions of faith are a prime example.  As a Christian, I want to give an answer for why I believe.  I want people to see how amazing Jesus is.  I want to explain the things that don’t add up and make it neat and tidy so I don’t get in the way.

It watch it in awe on social media.  Folks giving amazing defenses for difficult theological questions. Proper Christians who know how to explain things that make lesser brains (mine) leak or explode.

But even Christian experience is hard to explain.  For example: what does it mean to ‘give something’ to God? We’ve all got issues that we wrestle with and long to hand over.  But how does one actually do it?  Once you’ve written Him the letter or confessed the sin, how do you let go? Or this: ‘how do you KNOW that God is there?’ Here’s another: ‘what does recovery mean?  When do you know you’ve got there – or is it an ongoing process?’

When I’m asked questions like these, I try not to panic.  But there are things I just can’t answer; and things I don’t know.  In fact, faith requires that we trust in things we can’t always see. When someone says to me, ‘I’m glad you didn’t die from anorexia.  But my best friend did.  Why did God rescue you and not her?’ I have no reply.  I can answer another question: ‘Can God be trusted?’  Yes. ‘Does He love the friend as much as He loves me?’ Yes. But often, it’s not what the person is asking: and I’m not sure any answer would be right.

I guess it comes down to this.  What I know is Jesus. I know He loves me and I know He loves you.  I know He gave everything He had – Himself – to save everyone who comes to Him.  I know that even though there’s suffering now, death and sin has been defeated – and one day, every tear will be wiped away.  I know that He is merciful and I know that He is just. I’m not wise enough or godly enough or sensitive enough to answer these questions.  But I’ll stake everyone on this: He is.  He is enough.

 

4 thoughts on “Sorry – I Don’t Know

  1. YES! :-D Smileys don’t demonstrate enough how much this news makes me glad. Thanks for sharing, Emma!

  2. Amen! Love this article. It’s important to remind ourselves of what we DO know and use that information. I know I feel I must answer correctly but if a person isn’t at the point of welcoming Jesus I’ll never be able to give a good enough answer, and that’s ok. Like you said Jesus is enough and will use every seed planted in His own time

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