"Mystery" is enigmatic.

"Mystery" is defined as something difficult or impossible to explain or understand. Many people love a good mystery book, or a good mystery movie. Why? Is it the unknown? Is it the fact that we like to solve fantastic problems? As long as we have some degree of separation, we are good with living, believing, and solving these stories vicariously. But what about God? We can't define God, we can't logically nail down the trinity, or necessarily describe how our "hearts" are changed when we submit to the Lordship of Christ. Yet, many people cling with the absolute certainty that these things are real, existent, and absolutely true, right? Some would submit this as faith.

Faith allows us to believe in the unseen; cope with the unimaginable, and live in a present reality that is participatory in the in breaking Kingdom of God that is somehow "already and not yet," which we only see glimpses of here and now. But faith isn't a warm blanket that fixes all of our problems and answers all of our questions. Having faith in God is believing that our salvation comes from the Lord, yet what do we say in the face of complete travesty, total devastation, and the horror that is prevalent in our world? Is saying "it's in God's hands" really comforting or is it something that we say so that we can put it out of our minds and out of our realm of responsible thinking? Can abundant life really come through death? Does the mystery of the trinity make a difference in the life of the church? Does submitting to the Lordship of Christ really mean that I make all of my priorities first and foremost about God's kingdom rather than about my nationalistic roots and prejudices? Does Christ really call me to pick up a cross, follow him, and die - for his name's sake and not my own?

The mystery of God is enigmatic to me because having faith in Christ completely subverts my humanistic tendencies to have faith in myself, my country and my culture. The mystery of God looks me straight in the face and says "do you really have faith in me or faith in yourself?"

As we approach Lent, I must begin this reflection process to ask if my faith is really about making me feel better versus submitting to a King that rules a Kingdom with truth and justice, calling His people to loyalty - not to be happy, but to be transformed into a new creation that is more selfless than selfish, more loving than hating, more understanding than seeking to be understood, more graceful than hurtful. Lord have mercy.