Uncertainty

Welcome to the first day of 2021. Whatever else the new year will bring, uncertainty is sure to be part of the mix. Consider this, uncertainty and certainty are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they travel together. Where you find one, you will find the other. The tension of uncertainty or ambiguity can be a very positive thing. This tension can fuel the fire of a passion for growth and learning. Faith is not the absence of doubt but the embrace of it and ultimately the transformation of it into fuel for the journey of discovery. Additionally, courage is not the elimination of fear but regular interaction with fear and making the conscious choice not to be guided by it. The opportunity will be there for those who are willing to honor the presence of Christ even in the midst of uncertainty. Uncertainty is a certain part of life and this means that dialogue is always at a premium. Jesus had a dialogue with a man in Mark 9. Jesus had been on the Mount of Transfiguration and coming down the mountain, He encountered a man who had brought his son for healing. After some back and forth, Jesus says to the man, “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Then the man responds in a most unusual-sounding way, “I do believe, help my unbelief.” (Mark 9:24) Do you see the presence of both certainty (belief) and uncertainty (unbelief)? Jesus had just remarked on the disciple's lack of faith, so Jesus was not reticent about calling out problems with one’s faith. But there is nothing of that sort. Jesus entered this man’s uncertainty and healed his son. Jesus’ response was to bring healing. There is a lesson here for all of us. When we are at our most vulnerable, at the point of our deepest tension and struggling with serious uncertainty, we need neither to be judged nor praised. What we need is the transformation that can only come through Christ. Being transformed by Christ brings us to a level of maturity that neither ignores nor condemns uncertainty. A level of maturity that is undeterred when there are no easy answers. This results in an even greater thirst for learning and deeper hunger to know Christ and to make Him known. This is how we raise the bar on our discipleship. Happy New Year!