Ambiguity

A wise man once said that a mark of Christian maturity is a high tolerance for ambiguity. By that he didn’t mean that you minimize truth or compromise where God has clearly spoken. He was talking about what maturity looks like in all the gray areas of life to which the Bible doesn’t speak directly. As Christians grow and mature, they listen more, seek to understand people, are willing to set aside personal preferences, and begin to view and treat others more like God does.

There are a lot of big issues facing our country. You probably have opinions of your own. If you’re a Christian, how much tolerance do you have for ambiguity? It seems that every issue is presented as black and white. Pick your side and join the battle. It’s creating a lot of anger, misunderstanding, and fighting across various platforms.

But God puts his people in the world to be different. We have the opportunity to engage our culture, join the conversation, and work to make things better. And God wants us to do it in a way that shows we’re growing and maturing. He wants us to do it in a way that shows we’re beginning to view and treat others like he does.

God sees each person as special, valued, and worth the blood of his own Son. God doesn’t care nearly as much about politics and best practices as he cares about souls being saved from hell. He set aside so much personal gain and suffered for the world’s sins so the world could, through trust in Jesus, gain the riches of heaven.

Do politics and best practices matter? Absolutely. Just not nearly as much as Jesus and the saving of souls. Could you grow in grace and knowledge to mature in the way you engage the world? Could you listen more and seek to understand others first? Could you set aside some personal preferences and begin to view and treat others more like God does? Could you be refreshingly different as you join the conversation with a calm demeanor that demonstrates love first?

We all could. God, help us grow in this area, too.

“Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:19-22).

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen” (2 Peter 3:18).