How Sweet…

“The human soul is hospitable, and will entertain conflicting sentiments and contradictory opinions with much impartiality” — George Eliot

That, to me, is the hardest part of dealing with faith.

I’m a rational, logical person. I’ve been spending time trying to reason my way to the “right” answer. I’ve been looking at many deep questions of theology: Free Will vs. Predestination, Cessationism vs. Gifts, large church vs. home church. The more I studied and read, the more I just got deeper into confusion.

I began to read more scripture than other sources and I slowly began to realize that for all of these “Is it this one or that one” type issues, the answer is usually “Yes.”

Christ truly is the stone that makes men stumble (Isaiah 8:14), the one who blinds those who say they can see (John 9:39). I can analyze all things logically, and learn from them, but my trying to logic out an answer gets me no closer to Him.

I have now found that I can hold logic and faith together in my mind and not compromise either. Trying to explain this to a non-believer just makes them think I’m a loony, or that I’ve abandoned logic and therefore have a weak argument. It’s explaining a Kandinsky to a blind man, or a Mozart symphony to a deaf person.

So I decided to discern the benefit of wisdom and knowledge over foolish behavior and ideas; however, I concluded that even this endeavor is like trying to chase the wind! For with great wisdom comes great frustration; whoever increases his knowledge merely increases his heartache. — Ecclesiastes 1:17-18

Guard against self-deception, each of you. 1 If someone among you thinks he is wise in this age, let him become foolish so that he can become wise. — 1 Corinthians 3:18

For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will thwart the cleverness of the intelligent.”

Where is the wise man? Where is the expert in the Mosaic law? Where is the debater of this age? Has God not made the wisdom of the world foolish? For since in the wisdom of God the world by its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased to save those who believe by the foolishness of preaching. [...] For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. — 1 Corinthians 1:18-25

My life has been far less stressful since I stopped trying to figure out God, and attempting to get all the “right” answers to the world’s problems.

Lord, I’ve been so prideful, trying to figure you out so I’d be in control. Make me a fool.

And, in order to end this post on a suitable silly note, here is an incredibly theologically deep song by Neil Innes, “the seventh [Monty] Python”.