Understanding the Incomprehensible
Do you ever wish that you understood everything. I do. All the time. My brain is filled with useless facts and random trivia that only really seem to really help me when I watch game shows like Jeopardy with my father. I love learning new things, exploring new things, and having a random fact for every occasion. I will read anything I can get my hands on, and actually enjoy watching science and math videos on YouTube (although the majority of my YouTube viewing still consists of a mixture of cat videos and people falling off things). I have this hunger deep within me to know; to attain knowledge.
The funny thing about this is that I will never be able to know everything. It really is like Socrates said "The more you know, the more you realize you know nothing." The more of an understanding you have in something, the more you understand the depth of what you do not know. The world is so full of things to know, when you realize that you will never be able to understand everything, it kind of blows your mind.
I was thinking about that insurmountable amount of knowledge today, and how God created the world. When I look at the world, I see God. I see him in the trees, in the mountains and in the fields. He is everywhere. His name written on everything proudly like when an artist signs his artwork. I believe that God created this world to give us a better understanding of who he is and the depth he has to him. The depth of the world and everything in it alludes to the even greater depth that God has to him. The more I seek Him, the more I find Him. And the more that I find and understand Him the more that I realize I have so much more to learn, and that I will never fully understand Him at all.
People I've talked to seem to get frustrated with this. They want to understand every little thing about Him. They seem perturbed at, rather than interested in, someone they will never fully comprehend. I've thought long and hard about this point. Should it worry me that I will never understand the God I worship? Should it frustrate me? Should I be worried if it doesn't? Does accepting that I will never understand make me a naïve person? Thinking hard about this I've decided that if I understood everything about who he is, I would get bored. Where is the fun in understanding everything. Life without the mystery would just be misery. Sure there would be satisfaction for the first little while, but like the finished puzzle or the solved riddle, you put it aside to pursue and conquer the next great thing.
Like a regular relationship, you can never fully know a person. You learn new things about the people you are around the more you spend time with them. The more you know them, the more you realize you want to know more. You can never fully know a person though. They have depth, and that is what makes the relationship worth while. I don't enjoy shallow relationships. I would much rather sit down for coffee with one person than go to a crowded party. I value important conversations, not casual chatter. If you don't have depth, how can someone have a deep relationship with you? If the God I worship was comprehendible, and I knew everything about Him, I think having a relationship with Him would be pretty lame. Mystery is intriguing. We as humans are wired for discovery. That's why we buy that damnable mystery gum flavour; we wanna know what the heck it is!
I don't think it's naïve of me to accept that I will never fully understand God. It's actually kind of liberating. It takes off the pressure and allows me to enjoy the natural discovery that comes from a deep relationship. It's also amazing because I never get bored. I always desire to know more and there will always be more to find. I mean, to put it bluntly, if i knew everything about God, would he really be worthy of my worship? I don't think so.
I've come to a point where I don't worry about understanding the incomprehensible. I know the important things. I know He loves unashamedly. I know He is merciful and full of abounding grace. I know He is beautiful. And I know that He is worth getting to know deeper and deeper.
The funny thing about this is that I will never be able to know everything. It really is like Socrates said "The more you know, the more you realize you know nothing." The more of an understanding you have in something, the more you understand the depth of what you do not know. The world is so full of things to know, when you realize that you will never be able to understand everything, it kind of blows your mind.
I was thinking about that insurmountable amount of knowledge today, and how God created the world. When I look at the world, I see God. I see him in the trees, in the mountains and in the fields. He is everywhere. His name written on everything proudly like when an artist signs his artwork. I believe that God created this world to give us a better understanding of who he is and the depth he has to him. The depth of the world and everything in it alludes to the even greater depth that God has to him. The more I seek Him, the more I find Him. And the more that I find and understand Him the more that I realize I have so much more to learn, and that I will never fully understand Him at all.
People I've talked to seem to get frustrated with this. They want to understand every little thing about Him. They seem perturbed at, rather than interested in, someone they will never fully comprehend. I've thought long and hard about this point. Should it worry me that I will never understand the God I worship? Should it frustrate me? Should I be worried if it doesn't? Does accepting that I will never understand make me a naïve person? Thinking hard about this I've decided that if I understood everything about who he is, I would get bored. Where is the fun in understanding everything. Life without the mystery would just be misery. Sure there would be satisfaction for the first little while, but like the finished puzzle or the solved riddle, you put it aside to pursue and conquer the next great thing.
Like a regular relationship, you can never fully know a person. You learn new things about the people you are around the more you spend time with them. The more you know them, the more you realize you want to know more. You can never fully know a person though. They have depth, and that is what makes the relationship worth while. I don't enjoy shallow relationships. I would much rather sit down for coffee with one person than go to a crowded party. I value important conversations, not casual chatter. If you don't have depth, how can someone have a deep relationship with you? If the God I worship was comprehendible, and I knew everything about Him, I think having a relationship with Him would be pretty lame. Mystery is intriguing. We as humans are wired for discovery. That's why we buy that damnable mystery gum flavour; we wanna know what the heck it is!
I don't think it's naïve of me to accept that I will never fully understand God. It's actually kind of liberating. It takes off the pressure and allows me to enjoy the natural discovery that comes from a deep relationship. It's also amazing because I never get bored. I always desire to know more and there will always be more to find. I mean, to put it bluntly, if i knew everything about God, would he really be worthy of my worship? I don't think so.
I've come to a point where I don't worry about understanding the incomprehensible. I know the important things. I know He loves unashamedly. I know He is merciful and full of abounding grace. I know He is beautiful. And I know that He is worth getting to know deeper and deeper.
