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Certainty is defined as “a fact that is definitely true or an event that is definitelygoing to take place.” Upward mobility, in all it’s forms, is our performance strategy of choice in the West: “Do more and try harder” so you can achieve. If you achieve you can be certain you will belong, be praised, avoid rejection, avoid lack, secure happiness, become worthy of love:
- In school
- In church
- In career
- In relationships
From our earliest moments, the pressure to perform drives us to accumulate achievements so that we can earn something to be grateful for. While none of us would argue with the necessity of work and healthy stewardship, we’ve all experienced the emotional, physical, mental, spiritual, and relational sting when our efforts to strive fall short.
We are not robots. We have not been programmed. We are not machines. We are beating hearts. We are human beings. We are sons and daughters that God dearly loves and we are living in a Post-Eden world where life is far from perfect because we have all left the garden.
So where do we turn when we experience disappointment or the tension that surfaces when we achieve only to realize our version of certainty doesn’t satisfy us on a soul level? We have two primary choices: we will either go deeper into our systems of control or we will reach for God, Himself.
When I strive for my own version of certainty I essentially believe my way, my timing and my plan is the right way. I am the guiding force for my own life.
When I choose humility and surrender my life to God’s way (His timing and His plan), I yield to God as the guiding force for the life He’s entrusted me with.
This may feel counter cultural because it is.
Biblical faith has never been about human certainty.
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