the myth of certainty

Death is an interesting thing.

Some fear it.

Some embrace it as an unpleasant reality.

Some welcome it.

It is a blessing to be able to study here at North Park University in Chicago, but I am most thankful to have had the opportunity to take multiple classes by Dr. Joel Willitts.

Now, I am not making the connection of Willitts to death because of the difficulty of his courses. This being said, his courses do challenge me in serious ways... but that's besides the point. 

The connection, rather, is that of Willitts's wisdom that he shared with my class today.

He came to class with a heavy heart.

A heart burdened by the the events that took place yesterday.

He had a friend pass away after a lengthy battle with cancer.

He was vulnerable with us as he shared about this very personal experience. 

Being a biblical scholar, Willitts often blows my mind with the amount of knowledge he has on the Bible. 

Every time I think I know something, I very quickly learn that I know nothing.

This being said, Willitts always offers me perspectives and interpretations that cause me to pause, and reflect on what this whole being a Christ-follower thing is really about.

Today, in respect to death, Willitts again impressed me.

I have never been so moved in a classroom.

Never, has an instructor spoken to my heart in the way that Willitts did today.

He said (speaking on 2 Corinthians 4)
"Certainty is a myth, really. Not just in Christianity, but in life. The reality is how life would be if I couldn't live in the light of truth like this. Not just how unfulfilled  but how miserable life would be if cancer is all there was. I choose to believe, I embrace the uncertainty but the uncertainty and doubt in no way undermines my faith. For, to whom shall we go? I offer the hope of Paul, not the certainty of truth... for it is more than one can wrap their head around logically."

Wow.

How encouraging.

And beautiful.

Certainty is a myth...

To doubt is natural....

But, to choose to believe and to embrace uncertainty leads to hope.

and truth.

and life.

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Cor 4:18)

It's eternal!

It's life!

It is something that we cannot wrap our heads around logically, but it is truth.

We, as humans, want to doubt. It is in our nature to question. We don't want to accept what is unknown. It is much easier to respond with anger than to lift things to a higher power with the notion of it 'being taken care of'. 

Why rely on uncertainty, when we can so simply agree with the world?

The world makes sense, right?

Death is final, so we better YOLO it up.

When you die, you die.

hmm.

We can choose to mourn.

We can choose to doubt.

We can choose to reject the unknown.

We can choose to be "certain" and worry about earthly problems.

We can choose to be depressed, because that's the socially correct response.

Or we can believe. 

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day" (2 Cor 4:16)

I choose to believe.