“Certainty is the mark of the common-sense life: gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life. To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways; we do not know what a day may bring forth. This is generally said with a sigh of sadness; it should be rather an expression of breathless expectation.”- Oswald Chambers
In Chapter 5 (“Guaranteed Uncertainty”) of In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, author Mark Batterson states that it’s easy to read the stories of Benaiah, Noah, and Joseph without appreciating the element of surprise- because we know how their stories end. Psychologists refer to this as “hindsight bias”, defined as “an exaggerated feeling of having been able to predict an event before it actually happened.”
When Benaiah went into a pit with a lion, he didn’t know whether he’d survive. But he did know that God was with him. Lion chasers, Pastor Batterson asserts, are counterintuitive. They aren’t scared by the unknown. In a sense, security is scarier than uncertainty. While uncertainty is increased in the short-term, in the long run regrets are reduced. The author concludes:
“I know different people have different callings . . . . But I also know that embracing uncertainty is one dimension of faith. . . . you have to do something counterintuitive if you want to reach your God-given potential and fulfill your God-given destiny.”
Today’s question: How might “gracious uncertainty” mark you healing, transformational journey? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “The uncertainty principle”
