The Mysterious Side of Life

Jane Austen is a personal heroine of mine. A friend of mine gave me a plastic figurine of Jane which I placed in a strategic spot as I wrote the study Capture My Heart, Lord. It seemed fitting to have such a great author watching over me as I worked. One of the best elements of Jane's stories is the mystery of the character of the suitors toward the leading lady. You don't quite know who is really being true to themselves or putting up a front. In the end, the true colors are displayed along with a dose of humility on the part of both romantic parties.

Life is full of mystery~ there are just things I don't get like why The Bachelor turns out the way it does. OK, I'm a little embarassed but do admit that I got sucked in this season and may have to post my thoughts. The show is a fascinating study in relating albeit not healthy in the way it can escalate the insecurites of women. On the deeper side of life, I think about the mystery of the human body, the universe, the existence of God.

When life takes a turn we didn't anticipate, we are faced with the element of mystery as God writes our stories. Merriam Webster defines mystery as "something not understood or beyond understanding". In our humanity, we attempt to offer ourselves or one another some explanation for what has transpired so that there can be a more defined "why" behind it. I'm not sure why we do this except to make ourselves feel in control since perhaps we want to keep God's ways within certain limits or to make others feel better by providing an answer.

However, the very nature of a mystery is that it is beyond our understanding. Why a friend suffers physically, why another one goes through a painful divorce, why a loved one passes away at a certain time, and the questions remain unanswered. God's ways are mysterious and many times the best approach is "I hurt with you. I don't know why this is happening."

Even though the unraveling of our stories involves mystery that in many cases we may not have answers for in this lifetime, the mystery has been solved about God's character since He says so much about who He is in His word. God doesn't always explain the "whys" behind what He does although He does give us a heads up that the element of mystery will be part of our journeys by expressing that His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not ours. A mentor of mine in seminary encouraged me to ask the question "What does God want me to know about Him?" through every experience I encounter. This question has helped me as I learn to embrace mystery.