Never ending mystery…

I’m currently attending a college/career class at my church, and we have been studying Focus on the Family’s The Truth Project. It has been a really challenging series that I have really enjoyed so far, and if you are looking for something to expand your thinking and perspective on God, I would recommend watching this series.

After each episode, we participate in some follow-up/review questions as a group. Last night, there was a question that said something along the lines of, “should we accept and embrace the mystery of God, or attempt to simplify Christianity in a simple statement?” I’m sure I totally butchered that question, but that was the idea of what it was saying, at least. I think the easy answer here, if we really don’t want to put in the effort, would be to attempt to sum up God, Christianity, all that goes with it, into a simple statement. But what are the benefits of embracing the reality that God is a mystery? How is that fun and not just frustrating? If you’re into mysteries and solving puzzles, then this could be of some interest…yet, if God is so incredible and magnificent that He ultimately can’t completely be figured out, then what’s the point? If you can’t solve the mystery and find the answer, why look for the answer?

I believe that the answer to these questions is: levels. No, we’re never going to totally figure out God until we get to heaven, and we may not fully understand God even then. But God is a God of purpose and order and I believe that He’s left clues of Himself along the way for us, creating this beautiful scavenger hunt we can choose to participate in our whole lives. I think, God portrays Himself as a mystery to us on purpose. Yes, the answer may be that we simply cannot handle to know 100% who He is; as humans, this may be too overwhelming for us. Yet, I also believe that God wants to go on this incredible adventure with us, holding our hand along the way, as we explore His nature and uncover new things about Him at different levels, constantly. So why embrace the reality that He is ultimately a mystery? Because He designed it that way so that we have somewhere to go from. If we sum Him up in one statement, then that moment is over, we can move on, and have nowhere else to go. But if God is a mystery, one that we can keep discovering new things about, then the possibilities are endless and the adventure continues.

When you were younger, did you even go to a birthday party with a scavenger hunt? When I was little, my parties were the ones that had fun games like scavenger hunts, because I was blessed with a mom that goes over the top for birthday parties. I remember one year we had a list of things we were supposed to find in the mall, and whoever finished their list first won a prize. The Bible talks about keeping the awe and simplicity in our faith, like a child has:
“Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to  such              as these.’” –Matthew 19:14 (NIV)

So even though not being able to figure out the answers is something that drives me crazy, I’m grateful that God took the time to write out His Word and reveal Himself to me, in a way that gives me somewhere to go from here, a place to continue to grow in.

“‘But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.’” Daniel 2: 28a (NIV)

The chance to wander…

“Now Cain said to his brother Abel, ‘Let’s go out to the field.’ And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Where is your brother Abel?’
‘I don’t know,’ he replied. ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’ Then the Lord said, ‘What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.’ Cain said to the Lord, ‘My punishment is more than I can bear. Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from Your presence; I will be a restless wanderer of the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.’ But the Lord said to him, ‘Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer the vengeance seven times over.’ Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.” –Genesis 4:8-15 (NIV)

Cain is probably the first person in history to come up with the language of sarcasm. I find it so interesting how he back-talks God and says “Am I my brother’s keeper?” If I were having a one-on-one conversation with God, where I could audibly hear Him, I don’t think I would have the boldness to give God any lip. But that is just a side note I thought I’d throw in there…
Cain had just killed his brother, and yet God have him a second chance. Of course, his actions had to be punished, because he had committed a sin and a huge crime against his brother. God didn’t let this go unnoticed; he teaches us that our disobedience or wrong ways don’t go unseen or unpunished. However, rather than just strike Cain down with a lightening bolt and call it done, God allowed Cain to have the chance to “wander” in the absence of God’s presence and potentially get his head on straight. I find this “punishment” very interesting. Looking in from a third person’s perspective, and not being mixed in among the people or experiencing this story first hand, I see how wise of a choice this was on God’s part. Cain was jealous of Abel’s relationship with God, a relationship that Abel worked at and brought his best to (Gen. 4:2b-5). God responded more to Abel, not out of favoritism for him (as Cain assumed), but because Abel was doing all he could to bring fruit and prosperity to his end of his relationship with God–and God loves when we make an effort to be close to Him like that! Cain’s jealousy fueled him to respond to the situation as a murderer, rather than try harder at what he had to offer God. Maybe not so much to this extreme, but this is an example of what happens when we compare ourselves to others and what they have. I interpret God’s punishment on Cain as a chance for him to discover God on his own. Cain had the chance to wander until he understood who God was and how unique his relationship could be with God. And even though this was a punishment on Cain, God still installed His hedge of protection around him and marked, or rather preserved, Cain so that no one would harm him. This ensured that Cain would have his chance to reveal God and it wouldn’t be spoiled by someone else’s cruel-ness. So even though God would technically be “absent” from Cain, He would still be protecting him in the form of that mark. The rest of the story is up to Cain’s response to the situation, and unfortunately he chose to alienate himself from God, rather than discover Him.
Are you “wandering” from God right now? Maybe it’s your chance to have a response to God that will help you discover who He is to you.

“Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door, it desires to have you, but you must master it.’” –Gen. 4: 6-7 (NIV)