I find myself attempting this feat most every day of my life. There are so many situations, thoughts, and delusions that wish to sidetrack me from looking on Jesus. Perhaps you find yourself in this situation as well? I've been engaging this dilemma since I was a child. Trying to figure out why the sky is blue, why hummingbirds migrate to South America for the winter, what is the key in understanding love and other quandaries. Sometimes it's the little things and sometimes it's the big things we find ourselves twisted up and confused over. Being a guy I even wonder where the true "empty" reading is on my fuel gauge! Nature is amazing and takes me out of my comfort zone at how amazingly complex God created it. Human nature is another area of life where I find myself wondering if I will every understand men, women and children. Maybe part of this whole picture is I'm not to try to understand everything. Maybe I'm supposed to focus on God and his goodness towards mankind and leave the rest alone. Wait! That wouldn't leave me anything to worry about and peace. Trying to make sense of it all is really futile! As Solomon penned, "everything is meaningless." He had tried everything and was reduced to state we have all we need in Christ. So why is letting go so difficult?
We want to know everything! That's the simple answer. The quest of knowledge in all areas important to ourselves consumes valuable time where we could spend it on knowing Jesus. I've often been asked where I learned this or that. People want to know. Etiology is the study of first things or the beginning of things. The quest to understand the beginning has been lost by those who have decided that they alone know the "definition" of everything. So the world takes their word for it and don't try to make sense of the beginning that brought about their search. Understanding social media doesn't have the answers, but only opinions reflected by humans. Looking to God as our source of knowledge doesn't make sense to those easily satisfied. You can read it yourself but God says, "In proving themselves to be wise, man has proved himself to be foolish." Focusing on what's important doesn't include looking at foolish arguments or rationalizations on why someone believes the way they do. Satan has attempted to pull the wool over peoples eyes every since he said, "Surely, you will not die." Yep, we died. We've been dead ever since unless we are born again through the saving grace of Jesus Christ. He alone has the answers to all the questions or quests we may have.
In my history I found myself having graduated from seminary before a group of Christian leaders who were questioning me for ordination. I was already serving God in a church in northern Minnesota. Their questions were meant to help them determine if I was going to be a positive addition to their denomination. A question came up where I was asked what my basic theology was. I sat for a moment and my mind wandered through the past theologians that they might find acceptable. There are a lot! When time came to answer I opened my mouth and relied on God to speak through me. This is what I said: "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so." I went silent and everyone, except me, was uncomfortable. It was a "Dah!" moment for them and I felt a release that I had made sense out of it all with Jesus giving me the knowledge. Sometimes it's the simplest answer that is the most complex. I'm not sure the theologians were satisfied but they were unable to argue with my answer. Trying to make sense of it all is not difficult if our first source of wisdom is God. We are all on a quest for knowledge of one kind or another. Remember, it's always your choice.
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