Both/And

"For HE chose us in him before the creation of the world

to be holy and blameless in his sight. " ~ Ephesians 1:4

Here are some things that I don't understand and things that I question:

- Why is merging onto the freeway such a difficult task for people?

- When will the Cubbies win the series?

- What about dinosaurs?

- Do I, a student of Theology, have to pledge my allegiance to one theologian?

- Were Adam and Eve created with total objectivity?

- Why do men think Bod/Tag/etc is a good choice of cologne?

- How come strange hair appears in places it shouldn't be as you age?

- Why do zits have to be a reality?

- What produces laughter?

It is my nature to marinate in the inquisitions born of this world we live in. I do not believe that we were created to walk around as robots, going to and fro with no consideration to the peculiar things that purposely entertain our journey; rather I think it is a gorgeous blessing to question. If you ever have had the opportunity to spend time, any amount of time, with a child, what you notice with comical immediacy is the explosive energy contained in a mind filled with wonder. Everything that a child sees is something brand new. Balloons and kites become the ground for future pilots. The bubbled throat of a toad ignite budding zoologists. Mommy's pregnant belly is the greatest intrigue that ushers in a new generation of obstetricians. We are born to question, to wonder, to seek and to know.

But as we are born to know, so too we are to unable to understand it all. Our minds are finite organs crippled under the glorious weight of mystery. Reason can only take us so far. We may be able to survive on logic for a while, but eventually we will collide with a force far greater than ourselves that catapults our ability to formulate structured answers. Now, with this in mind; here are some heavier curiosities the parade around my mind.

- Are some people created for heaven while others are damned to hell?

- Was there something that sparked Satan's initial fall?

- Is God all sovereign?

- Can our prayers change the mind of God?

- Is everything predestined?

The ways in which I approach these questions shed light onto my understanding (or lack there of) of who God is. Let me first admit that I am not obsessed with discovering the answers - I am not driven by an uncontainable need to have it all figured out. I approach these questions humbly, ignorantly and longing not to know more about God, but rather to know God more. In this I am disarmed by the scriptures that, in some mysterious way, reveal that the answers to the predominately divisive theologies cease miserably to be either/or responses. Contrastingly so they exist as both/and - which highlight the need to bow before mystery.

When I bring into question the theology of predestination I am occupied by John 3:16 - that Christ came to save the world, and then I am distracted by Ephesians 1:4-5 - that He chose us before the creation of the world and in love he predestined us to be his hons. As I muse over the sovereignty of God I am blinded by the truth of Proverbs 16 - that although I may have plans for my life, ultimately it is God that determines the steps. But what about the renouned story of Moses in Exodus 32? God had plans to destroy the people he had brought up out of Egypt but Moses interceded and pleaded with God to relent; God changed his mind and spared the lives of his people. See what I mean? Both/And.

This is the God that I serve. I do not understand Him yet I seek. I trust in his sovereignty yet I plead. I am curious yet I know when to be silent. Though Tag body spray will continue to pollute the hallways of high schools around the nation, and really old people will get their lisences renewed (this too is a mystery to me....) when they should have been revoked decades ago - the God of all creation will remain. He is sovereign and listens to our cries, He saves and relents. He is the one who was and is and is to come.