10 things you need to know about the things you will NEVER know.
This just might be a book I need to write
One thing I’m discovering is that I’m never really out of inspiration of things to write about. It just usually takes me time to decide what I want to spend my time on next.
This season of battling cancer has me inspired to share my journey away from serving certainty as a “god” in my life. In fact, the first message I preached following my first bout with cancer was a sermon about what I learned about navigating uncertainty.
With that being said, I’m feeling inspired to make this topic my next book. I’m still currently working on edits for my next book with Brazos Press which is currently titled “How Ableism Fuels Racism.” It’s set to release in the spring of 2024.
I’m extremely proud of this book. I can’t wait for it to come out, and still as I am moving closer to making a living as an author, I’ve learned that because the process usually takes about two years to sell and release a book, staying in the writing lab helps to keep the momentum.
Most of my books have been about disability, and I’m still very much working toward releasing more content in that area, but I’m ready to share more about the faith journey that has been happening while I’m battling cancer. I believe it will inspire others to abandon the “god of certainty” and instead surrender to the faithfulness of God in times of extreme uncertainty.
Here’s a snapshot of a post I shared, and some of the points of the message I preached, that I am working on turning into a book.
“He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Master GOD, only you know that.””
Ezekiel 37:3 MSG
One of the most striking stories/images in the Bible is the story of Ezekiel and the valley of dry bones.
There are many things that strike me as strange and significant about this story, but perhaps the most interesting part of Ezekiel’s interaction with God is his acknowledgment of his limited knowledge.
When asked about the potential for recovery and resurrection of the bones in the valley, Ezekiel admits that there are somethings that only God knows the answer to.
We crave knowledge. That’s not necessarily a bad thing but in the end we have to admit that there are somethings that we can never know. We also have to learn to live with the unknown and the uncertainty that is life.
Over the last three years of joining in the battle against a global pandemic and a personal battle with cancer I’ve had to learn to live with this.
As someone who loves knowledge and loves learning this is a challenge for me. Being autistic also feeds my need for knowledge. I like to know everything that I can about an environment. I don’t like ambiguity and I hate surprises. I need to know what’s happening. But the reality is there are somethings I can never know.
So what do you do when you realize there are somethings that you will never know the answer to?
Here are 10 things I learned over the last several months that have helped me.
1. Knowledge isn’t always power. You can’t always outsmart trouble.
2. Knowledge isn’t always protection. Just because you’re knowledgeable doesn’t mean you’re invincible.
3. Trust requires uncertainty. It isn’t actually trust if you can predict the outcome.
4. Obedience assumes disagreement. It isn’t obedience unless you don’t want to do what you’re instructed to do but you do it anyway.
5. Miracles don’t erase mortality. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead but Lazarus is still dead.
6. You can’t plan for something that you didn’t know was possible. Let yourself off the hook.
You’re not failing. You’re actually flourishing.
7. Uncertainty isn’t a license to be unwise.
8. Don’t overestimate what you would do about things you’ve never experienced.
Everyone is a novice at new experiences.
9. Faith doesn’t require details. Faith isn’t built on certainty it’s built by embracing mystery.
10. An unquestioned faith is an untrustworthy faith. Real faith can handle the weight of critical thinking.