I've been reading through David Allen's newest book, Making It All Work, as part of a process of regaining "control and perspective" on some of my areas of responsibility. In doing so, I just read a quote (on page 85 for those of you who have the book) that I'd like to paraphrase below:
Most people are resistant to confronting, capturing and dealing with the in-depth areas of their lives because they tend to want to have the answers before they're willing to acknowledge they have questions.
I don't know about you, but this tendency is really true for me in my daily walk of following Christ. I am, after all, a "professional Christian" ... I've been in one or another form of ministry for 30 years. It won't look good for me to admit that there are areas, sometimes major areas, of my "faith life" where I don't have all the answers. But I'll never truly come to a place where I can get those answers, or come to peace with not being able to cross all the t's and dot all the i's, if I'm not willing to be honest with myself, with others, and, most importantly, with God. I sure don't need to be "wearing the mask" of having everything together. That's not going to help me or those to whom I am striving to minister.