Psalm 61, 62; Psalm 68.1-20 (21-23) 24-36; Jeremiah 2.1-13; Romans 1.16-25; John 4.43-54
It is through total and unmitigated powerlessness that God shows us divine mercy. The radical, divine choice is the choice to reveal glory, beauty, truth, peace, joy, and, most of all, love in and through the complete divestment of power. It is very hard-- if not impossible-- for us to grasp this divine mystery.
I'll say.
Especially when "grasp" means to take hold of in a visceral way, not just to apprehend intellectually.
I was going to write a post criticizing all kinds of power tonight. Political power, the power that accrues with wealth, etc. But everything sounded trite and hackneyed, probably because it was.
And the reason the criticisms are hackneyed is because Nouwen is right: it is nearly impossible for us to grasp that divine mystery. We keep missing it.
How do you deal with it? Me, I keep thinking I've nailed it when I Think Deep Thoughts and Use Big Words. But I haven't, not really.
Mystery is just that-- mysterious, and opaque, and %@#! frustrating. Because if we can apprehend it, we can control it. And God won't be controlled.
So how do you deal? What's your best approach? My best approach...well, it keeps giving out.
3 comments:
My best approaches to mystery... they definitely don't work all the time... are around taking time to rest with the mysteries, be annoyed by them, ask for more answers... the two specific practices are paying attention to what is revealed in my dreams and keeping silence before the Lord (in centering prayer first and in increasing portions of my day).
I deal by not trying to wrap my head around the mystery as much as trying to accept it without resistance. I am covered in grace. I am claimed as His own. I didn't earn it... I don't deserve it... and i cannot account for it, other than to say that I am saved by grace.
It is good enough for me.
I am usually cool with mystery. I deal with it by knowing that God is infinite, and in control, and good. I have more confidence in his ability to understand things and work them out than in my own.
Where I usually get stuck is worrying when and how to act, since mysteries aren't very specific. I feel like I often get the spiritual analog of a backrub when what I want is a precise answer. I am still working out whether that is due to a deficiency in my listening or due to misaligned expectations for how God wants to speak to me.
With regard to the mystery of powerlessness specifically, I don't feel like I've grasped it at all yet. It is comforting to hear when I'm in an inescapably powerless position, but befuddling when I have a choice about how powerful to be.
I think this gets back a little bit to the question of when to identify with Jesus' life on earth (powerless in many significant ways, powerful in a few others) vs. his life in heaven (straight up powerful).
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