I Wonder as I Wanderby Richard Meyer |
to invite small groups to love one another, encourage one another, bear one another's burdens, & pray for one another. |
The e-mail asked, "Have you ever wondered why 'abbreviated' is such a long word? Or why we call them apartments, when they are stuck together? Or why sour cream has an expiration date? Or why banks charge us a 'non-sufficient' funds fee on money they already know we don't have? Or how much deeper the ocean would be if sponges didn't grow in it? Or why glue doesn't stick inside a bottle? Or why Tarzan doesn't have a beard? Or why there are five syllables in 'monosyllabic'? Or why Superman could stop bullets with his chest, but always ducked when someone threw a gun at him?
Wonder About God
Maybe you haven't wondered about these things, but I bet you have wondered about God. Wondered stuff like: Can prayer really move the hand of God? If God can be experienced why am I missing that experience? How can others be so certain about God when I am so unsure? Do we really live in a world where God acts, intrudes, moves, and speaks or is that a figment of our imagination? Is there only one way to God or are there multiple ways to God? Is God as exclusive as some say or is God the most inclusive being in the universe?
Many Americans wonder about such matters. According to the Gallup Organization we really wonder. Their polling results point out two key spiritual and religious trends in the United States today:
On top of that, when Gallup asked Americans, "Would you describe yourself as religious or spiritual," 49% of the respondents said "religious," 39% said "spiritual but not religious," and 9% saw themselves as both spiritual and religious. Only 2% of Americans see themselves "non-religious" or "non-spiritual." As a nation, we wonder about God. We wonder a lot about God.
Questions Call Us
I have always wondered about God. As an "unchurched" child growing up in Southern California, I wondered if what my "churched" friends told me about God was true. Since my family seldom went to church, I had no way to verify my friends' spiritual insights. Was it true that it's really hard to get into heaven? Was it true that God delights in sending people to hell? Was it true that before long I would have accumulated too many sins for God to forgive? I wondered.
Then I hit high school. For three years I had wanted to date Sondra Ellis. Finally, with graduation looming, I mustered up the courage to ask her out. We went to a pool party and barbecue in someone's back yard. There must have been a hundred kids present, and we swam, we ate, we sang songs, we watched a hilarious skit, and then the Young Life leader spoke. He told the story of Zacchaeus, and how Jesus came to seek out and save the lost, and I felt lost. Was he right? Did Jesus like to hang out with people like me? Did Jesus really want to be my friend? Did God really delight in getting people into heaven instead of hell? I wondered.
During college I settled those issues in my mind. I began a relationship with Christ prior to my sophomore year at UCLA, but the wondering has never stopped, and I'm glad it hasn't.
Still Growing
In our new members' class we always asked the attendees to draw a picture of their relationship with God. Some people drew a hand, symbolizing God as provider or protector. Some drew a sun or a lighthouse, symbolizing God as a source of hope and guidance. Some drew a big question mark. To them God was and is a great mystery. Thinking of the words of the Apostle Paul, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31), I always drew a cheerleader with pom-poms. Ever since my college days, God has been my biggest encourager and cheerleader.
That remains the same. Still I wonder. I wonder why bad things happen to good people. I wonder what my faith would look like if I had grown up in another country, a non-Christian country. I wonder if I am hearing God correctly. I wonder if something is wrong with me because I do not see as many black and white issues as others. My world, after all, contains a lot of grays. I wonder how pleased God is with the church. I wonder if it's OK to have more questions about God than answers. I wonder if I'm making this faith thing more complicated than it needs to be. Other times I wonder if I'm making it too simple!
I wonder as I wander through life. I suspect I am not alone.
Dick Meyer is the Director of the One Anothering Institute in Omaha NE and author of three books, One Anothering, Vol 1, 2 &3.