A Life in Exile

Can we be certain of anything these days? I’ve thought about this a lot as we’ve gone through recent elections here in the United States, faced unprecedented destruction from the aftermath of a hurricane in the mountains of East Tennessee and Western North Carolina, and watched wars extend from months into years in the Middle East and Ukraine. These are just some of the headlines that catch our attention, while many in our world face hunger, displacement, violence, and a basic lack of essential resources like water, shelter, and food.

I thought about how those who had insurance in North Carolina still are without certainty, because their policies didn’t contain anything for floods. I mean, who needs flood insurance when you’re living on a mountain? The fundamental definition of insurance is “a means of guaranteeing protection or safety.” Did their insurance guarantee protection against an unprecedented act of nature? Nope.

We put locks on the doors, but that won’t stop a determined thief from breaking in. We keep our children as close as possible, but that doesn’t mean a predator still won’t have his way. We take vitamins and exercise, but that doesn’t mean that as we age, we won’t fall and break a bone. We save and watch our spending, but that doesn’t mean a bank won’t go under or the stock market won’t crash.

How do we handle such uncertain times?

I recall the saying, “there is nothing certain in life but death and taxes.” If that’s all that’s certain, where is our hope? Do we just give up and see doom and gloom all around? If the existentialist writers from my years of studying French had their way, the answer would be yes. I remember how hard it was to read Satre or Camus, because they sent you down into a black hole and offered no way of getting out. Even as a Christian, those days were hard for me, because there were no alternative narratives offered.

Thankfully, I still had my Bible, my faith, and my church, which allowed me to swim against the current of depressive philosophies, books, and films. Though surrounded by non-Christians in class, I eventually graduated with my double major of French and History to redeem the ugliness by serving in French-speaking West Africa—using the language to share my faith, shelving the rest.

I was often uncertain of the next step in my life, but never of the certainty of God. I messed up, made mistakes, allowed my witness to be tarnished and feared for my future, but God never let go. He was there in my darkest moments as a young woman. I didn’t know what tomorrow held, but I knew that he would be there, helping me to take the next step in doing good and following his will for my life.

As the day of Christ’s return draws near, the Word tells us that things will continue to get worse. It’s going to be tough for everyone—Christians and non-believers alike, but with one marked difference. Those who know and follow Christ can face uncertain days with grace.

The mark of the spiritual life.

Listen to how Oswald Chambers describes our reality:

Certainty is the mark of the common-sense life: gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life. To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways. Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

The common-sense certainty of which Chambers speaks is a self-reliance that is destined for failure. I know what he’s talking about, as I’m a very “common-sense” kind of person. The problem is that such common sense can lead to pride and a false certainty that no matter what comes, I can fix it or survive. It’s a focus on self that is unrealistic.

Think about it this way. A common-sense person up in the mountains had it all worked out. No need to rely on anyone. He was happy in his isolation and abilities. Then, along comes wind and rain from a hurricane. Everything he built and worked for is gone. He’s limping from a fall during the storm. So much for being certain. The answer is not just that he needs help from others, but ultimate help from God.

There was no greater testimony to the “gracious uncertainty” Chambers describes than the testimonies of the Christian survivors of that hurricane tragedy. They lost everything too, but were marked by grace—giving glory to God, words of thanksgiving to those who helped, and testimony that this world is not our home.

What the darkness reveals.

In the darkest of times, not just in the mountains of our nation but all around the world, we see evidence that “we are uncertain in all our ways.” Yet, at the same time, we also see those who are lights in the darkness, marked by the gracious uncertainty that says, God’s still on his throne and he’s still with us, despite how bleak things look right now.

How will I respond when tragedy hits? I pray I’ll be marked by the spiritual marker of gracious uncertainty in myself but total certainty in my sovereign God. What about you?

Grace and Peace

If you missed the last Wednesday Wisdom, click HERE, or check out these other posts on faith and certainty: By Faith, Accepting the Words, Number our Days, Death and Taxes, and Don’t Shrink Back.