I read an article called “Christianity Offers No Answers About the Coronavirus. It's Not Supposed To” by N.T. Wright, New Testament Theologian. One particular quote struck me as meaningful and worth reflecting on.
"…what we need…recover the biblical tradition of lament. Lament is what happens when people ask, “Why?” and don’t get an answer.” – N.T. Wright
Here are few more questions that came up for me. How did I react to not being able to go to church during the pandemic? Honestly, I recognized how valuable my personal, private connection with God is, and the ability to connect with God and others in creative ways. It also helped that I am introvert, because the local Sunday church service is more geared toward extroverts. I also realized what a lightning rod it was to others. Was it still challenging, yes, but not in the ways that I thought it would be. I still searched for answers, especially during anxious nights when I wondered what God was doing with the world, my family and my own life. I felt like answers or knowledge would have somehow solved my anxiety and fear, but deep down I knew that wasn't really the case.
Asking why is a hypothetical game that's worth playing. That's why this website exists. It's ironic that I am starting this blog talking about not having answers to the "why" question. But I think it's an important reality that we all need to confront. There are a whole lot more unanswered questions than answered ones. We need to be ok with that, but it doesn't mean we stop asking!
So, how much and what kind of a difference does knowing why make in your life and my life? If you had an answer for not being able to do things that were meaningful to you, was it really sufficient? How do you and I respond when we don't have an answer for something significant that's been taken away (broken relationship, death of a loved one, illness, loss of a job, etc.).
In the Bible, Job never received the actual answer why he was suffering. We as readers are told the reason in the first few chapters. Job's three "friends" offer reasons, none of which are correct.
So how does my big answer to the meaning of life inform this reality of "no answers?" I think about the time when Jesus wept at the tomb of his friend Lazarus who had died. When we ask why Jesus waited four days before going to Mary and Martha when he found Lazarus was sick, the obvious answer is to raise him from the dead. He delayed because this would bring glory to God. But there are a lot of why questions that are left unanswered. Why was Jesus/God crying? One observer said, "See how He loved him [Lazarus]." Of all Jesus' friends, why was Lazarus the one to die? Why at that time? Why raise Lazarus from the dead if he is only going to die again later? The meaningful bottom-line for me, is that God wept. For someone who struggles to express emotions, especially sadness, this encourages me to do the same. We are made in God's image, so we should also grieve and mourn, especially when we don't have answers.
Let me know what you think? Is anything in this article or post meaningful to you? Can you think of another example from your own journey that seems to relate to this topic?
The story about Jesus and Lazarus can be found in the book of John chapter 11 in the Bible.
