“Living comfortably with confusion and mystery is not easy. It erodes our sense of competence. We like to feel we are in control. We feel better when we know what is going on and we know what to expect. We like to have answers for everything mysterious because walking in the dark is disturbing. So any answer is better than none. Many people will accept glib explanations because it provides them with a way out of confusion; it provides something to hold on to. Since we don’t like to be in the dark, we seek to replace confusion and mystery with understanding. Let’s face it: few of us handle ambiguity well. This desperate desire to be in control makes us cling to the illusion that if we search hard enough we will find answers. We are unwilling to brave the fog of confusion, and fail to see that it is often in the midst of massive confusion that we have the opportunity to build the muscles of faith and trust. The truth is God has not chosen to answer every question.”

Every Day with Jesus (from the 10th Feb.) by Selwyn Hughes