Uncertainty Is Ok (Friday Devotional)

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

- Romans 12:3

If you’ve spent much time with a three-year old lately, there’s a one-word question you’re used to hearing: “Why?” For small kids, it’s a question that’s constantly on their minds—and as a result, constantly on their lips. Here’s a sampling of a conversation Andrew and I had in the car the other day:

“Daddy, why is that called a water tower?”

“Because it stores water.”

“Why?”

“Because the city needs lots of water.”

“Why?”

“Because we need water to drink and take baths and wash clothes.”

“Why?”

“Because there’s no other way to do those things without water.”

“Why not?”

It’s usually at about that point in the conversation, on the 4^th or 5^th why, that we’ve hit a dead end. I’ve run out of answers; my fount of wisdom has run dry. It’s at that point that I have to begrudgingly say the words that bring the conversation to a screeching halt: I don’t know.

Nobody likes admitting that. We like to think we have all the answers we need, that we’ve prepared ourselves adequately for whatever the world throws at us, that our education is essentially complete. Uncertainty is uncomfortable, and we prefer to make our way through life with as little of it as possible.

But the truth is that nobody this side of heaven knows everything. We all have blind spots and deficits. What’s difficult is acknowledging that—especially when you disagree with someone.

In a week of tremendous controversy and struggle, many have dug into their preestablished positions, hanging on for dear life in the face of conflicting arguments. The intensity of the moment has made them more certain that they’re right and always have been, that they have nothing new to examine or learn, that nuance is an unnecessary vice.

But believers in Jesus Christ are cautioned to respond to difficult moments not with stubbornness and certainty, but grace and humility. Instead of condescending to our neighbors, now is the time to listen to them; instead of arguing with people, now is the time to reach out with intentional acts of kindness. In a time of unbelievable uncertainty, people aren’t looking for your answers, but your empathy. So may you be willing to set aside your preconceived notions and come to your neighbors with open ears, an open heart, and an open mind—because sometimes admitting you don’t know isn’t a mark of weakness, but maturity.