“He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Master GOD, only you know that.”” Ezekiel 37:3 MSG
One of the most striking stories/images in the Bible is the story of Ezekiel and the valley of dry bones.
There are many things that strike me as strange and significant about this story, but perhaps the most interesting part of Ezekiel’s interaction with God is his acknowledgment of his limited knowledge.
When asked about the potential for recovery and resurrection of the bones in the valley, Ezekiel admits that there are somethings that only God knows the answer to.
We crave knowledge. That’s not necessarily a bad thing but in the end we have to admit that there are somethings that we can never know. We also have to learn to live with the unknown.
Over the last several months I’ve had to learn to live with this. As someone who loves knowledge and loves learning this is a challenge for me. Being autistic also feeds my need for knowledge. I like to know everything that I can about an environment. I don’t like ambiguity and I hate surprises. I need to know what’s happening. But the reality is there are somethings I can never know.
So what do you do when you realize there are somethings that you will never know the answer to?
Here are 10 things I learned over the last several months that have helped me.
1. Knowledge isn’t always power. You can’t always outsmart trouble.
2. Knowledge isn’t always protection. Just because you’re knowledgeable doesn’t mean you’re invincible.
3. Trust requires uncertainty. It isn’t actually trust if you can predict the outcome.
4. Obedience assumes disagreement. It isn’t obedience unless you don’t want to do what you’re instructed to do but you do it anyway.
5. Miracles don’t erase mortality. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead but Lazarus is still dead.
6. You can’t plan for something that you didn’t know was possible. Let yourself off the hook. You’re not failing. You’re actually flourishing.
7. Uncertainty isn’t a license to be unwise.
8. Don’t overestimate what you would do about things you’ve never experienced. Everyone is a novice at new experiences.
9. Faith doesn’t require details. Faith isn’t built on certainty it’s built by embracing mystery.
10. An unquestioned faith is an untrustworthy faith. Real faith can handle the weight of critical thinking.
