Imperfect Understanding — A LifeWords Devotion

Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. (NLT)

It is a mistake to think that our Christian faith demands we know all the answers or that we need to have firmly expressed opinions on everything. Loud mouthed dogmatism is not the same as strong faith. Arrogant certainty is not the same as sure confidence.

This side of eternity we don’t know everything. It is pride not faith that insists we know all there is to know. It is quite reasonable that followers of Jesus will have different opinions on different issues. It is inevitable that we won’t have formed firm opinions on each and every life situation. It is perfectly proper to say “I don’t know” when asked certain questions.

We are not divine, we are human and thus have our inbuilt human limitations. We haven’t got all the answers and sometimes don’t even know the right questions. There are simply things we do not understand or at least understand imperfectly.

But having said this, we need to heed the wisdom of the writer G.K. Chesterton who wrote “The object of opening the mind, as of opening the mouth, is to shut it again on something solid.”  Having an open mind on some things doesn’t mean we have no solid ground, no understanding at all.

We can be black and white on some things while recognising the vast grey areas. We can be clear at the centre while fuzzy around the edges.

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Blessings

David