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12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” Ephesians 6:12-13
We live in a world of information. Never before in human history has a generation had access to the amount of information that we have. Recently, I had to change a headlight bulb in my car which required disconnecting the battery. No problem- until I discovered that disconnecting the battery re-sets the anti-theft system, disabling the radio, and requiring a code which I didn’t have. No problem. A simple Google search and a few pieces of data provided the code and the procedure. Everything from how to sync your car key fob to road conditions anywhere in the world to how to untangle your daughter’s Apple ID from your phone, you can get the information you want.
We live in an amazing world. However, there are two sides to this story. Being accustomed to having access to information, we are conditioned to expect it. Nay, we have a right to information. We have the ability to know; therefore, we believe we have the right to know.
Nowhere is this more evident than in one of the many variations of the most popular question people have about God: Why? This is especially true when it comes to suffering. Why does God allow suffering? Why do you and I experience various levels of suffering- financial, physical, emotional, relational, spiritual, etc.? Why would God allow this to happen to me? Why won’t he explain himself?
““This is a generation that listens with its eyes and thinks with its feelings.” ”
While these kinds of questions are natural, our ability to “Google” anything has eroded our resiliency to ambiguity. As a parent of teenagers, I’ve become deeply interested in the struggles facing Generation Y/iY/Z. Ravi Zacharias, the great Christian apologist, gives us insight into the way the younger generation processes life: “This is a generation that listens with its eyes and thinks with its feelings.”[1] Nowhere is this more apparent than with the inability to explain evil. “If evil appears pointless to me, then it must BE pointless.”[2] I love how Timothy Keller responds to this: “This reasoning is, of course, fallacious. Just because you can’t see or imagine a good reason why God might allow something to happen doesn’t mean there can’t be one.”[3] Grasping this insight, it is imperative that we be prepared to discuss the ambiguities of life in a way that is patient, resilient, and especially optimistic.
“Sometimes, it is not a problem to be solved, but a tension to be managed.”
This post isn’t meant to a huge philosophical or apologetic diatribe. I could point you to many great resources that help enormously. My goal is simply to examine how our ability to know many things sets us up for failure when it comes to things we don’t understand. Another way to look at it is this: “Sometimes, it is not a problem to be solved, but a tension to be managed.”[4] When I don’t have all the information or am not able to make sense of something, I tell myself, “There’s always more to the story.”
If you don’t know why someone is behaving the way they do; there’s always more to the story. They could be going through something deeply disturbing- they got a bad diagnosis; they discovered their finances aren’t as secure as they thought; they lost their job; their children are struggling. Who knows? That restaurant server is slow with bringing your food? Perhaps the computer went down, a cook just walked off the job, or they are simply new. That organization you count on to do their job? Perhaps they are experiencing personnel turnover. Perhaps the city just slapped them with a huge citation. Perhaps the IT director quit and now no one knows the administrator password or can’t access wi-fi. The horror!!!!!!!
The bottom line is: there is always more to the story. When faced with ambiguity, rather than gossip about the endless possibilities that you have no way of proving or verifying, wouldn’t it be better to remind oneself that “There is always more to the story.” When that person doesn’t return a phone call, an email, a text, or a FB messenger, perhaps “there is more to the story.” When someone loses something, breaks something, fails at something, perhaps there is more to the story. When someone close to you begins to behave differently, trust me- there is more to that story. A fantastic resource that explains this in depth is Peter L. Steinke’s book How Your Church Family Works: Understanding Congregations as Emotional Systems. Steinke points out that individuals, families, and churches are all systems, “a set of forces and events that interacts.”[5] As you interact with those things you don’t understand, begin with “there is always more to this story.” Follow this up with prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you discern and help you respond in a way that manifests the fruit of the Spirit.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. Galatians 5:22-26
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When it comes to missionary life, THERE IS ALWAYS MORE TO THE STORY! This includes the ambiguities of financial support falling off, churches not responding to emails in an efficient manner, travel schedules/travel arrangements/ministry assignments/health issues not happening the way you expect. There is always more to the story. Having served for nearly 20 years in pastoral ministry, I can tell you first-hand that as much as you plan, calendar, organize, and anticipate, anything can happen. I’ve also learned that life is multi-faceted and any interpersonal interaction has multiple variables that can affect someone in a myriad of ways.
““It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. ”
We don’t live in just a physical, predictable world; there is much more to it than tangible matter. We live in a world where the seen and unseen, natural and supernatural, collide and interface on a constant basis. We are supposed to do our part, and then let God do His part. Make no mistake: we are in a spiritual battle against forces we cannot see, cannot anticipate, but can respond to. Just because you cannot find an answer to your issue doesn’t mean there isn’t an answer. The answer, above all, is Jesus. He is the Author AND the Finisher of the entire story. When you are struggling to make sense without a lot of answers, remind yourself that Jesus is the all-sufficient “MORE” to your story.
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.” Revelation 21: 5-7
[1]Zacharias, Ravi. "Think Again - The Gentle Goldsmith." RZIM. Accessed January 16, 2019. https://www.rzim.org/read/just-thinking-magazine/think-again-the-gentle-goldsmith.
[2]Mackie, John Leslie. The Miracle of Theism: Arguments for and against the Existence of God. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2013.
[3]Keller, Timothy. The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism. New York: Penguin, 2016. Pg. 23.
[4]Edmondson, Chris. "Problems to Solve and Tensions to Manage, DRIVE 2010, Session #3, Andy Stanley." Chrisedmondson.tv. May 6, 2010. Accessed January 16, 2019. http://chrisedmondson.blogspot.com/2010/05/problems-to-solve-and-tensions-to.html.
[5]Peter L. Steinke, How Your Church Family Works: Understanding Congregations as Emotional Systems. Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2006, 3.