From my friar friend … abiding in the intermingling of mystery and faith …

Quite a few moths ago I met Terry while in Tulsa. What a privilege! We have since traded an e-mail or two. I was especially graced some time back when Terry sent me an e-mail noting that his order emphasized prayer and for that day he was praying for me. The blessing was mine.

In a recent post I mused about causality. I prefer not to go into the “story” behind the post. Essentially the issue was one of bearing life’s experiences with others considering the “meaning of it all” when it comes to “lesser” events. I primarily had young people, students, in mind. After all many grow up in traditions where they often attach a divine meaning to an event rather capriciously (as do many adults). How is it we help them determine some
sense of apparently random events so as to derive meaning from them? I have enjoyed reading the comments from that post. I feared the last comment might go unread. So, I asked Terry permission to post the comment in this context. He graciously obliged. I found his faith in the midst of personal tragedy compelling. I resonate with the willingness to live between mystery, faith and certainty. Here is his comment.

Thanks Terry.

I suppose it all comes down to the question, is God just? Does God send down rewards and punishments or is God whimsical & not trust worthy? I had to face this personally when my beloved wife and mother of our three small children died of cancer 12 years ago.

Some people wanted to blame her for her disease, or me, saying I wasn’t good enough as a Christian, I suppose Job* went through the same sort of “friendly” responses.

In the end, I came to the understanding that I just don’t know. In the Garden, we insisted on eating of the tree of Knowledge of Good & Evil. Our kind wanted to decide for ourselves what is good, and what is evil. Apparently we are not allowed that knowlege and for me, that helped. I can tolerate mystery and faith intermingled.

I know God, I know His love, and I know He is beyond me, in so many ways as to be indescribable. I also accept that I can’t know everything, but that doesnâ??Ã?ôt mean I am powerless, and empty handed, I have been given faith. I do have that faith, that God abides, that God stands with us, and when can trust in

Godâ??Ã?ôs presence even though the worst.

As my brother recently died in a great deal of pain, I was comforted knowing that the Love of Christ took Him to that place of agonising death, and was with my brother in that moment, in a way none of us could be.

*My Priest recently mentioned that: “Jobâ??Ã?ôs appeal to have a mediator, an umpire is a prophetic testimony for the necessity of a Christ, a being both human and divine who could bring about reconciliation between God and us.

About the Author
Husband to Patty. Daddy to Kimberly and Tommie. Grandpa Doc to Cohen, Max, Fox, and Marlee. Pastor to Snow Hill Baptist Church. Graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Reading. Photography. Golf. Colorado. Jeeping. Friend. The views and opinions expressed here are my own and should not be construed as representing the corporate views of the church I pastor.

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