I vividly remember the insatiable curiosity of my childhood. (Actually, I’m not convinced that said sense of curiosity has departed, but, go with the flow here). Every new notion, from the ceiling fan in the living room to the stars in the sky inevitably filled me with wonder and sent me on a seemingly interminable cycle of asking, “why?” Knowing that even a reasonable answer couldn’t satisfy my wonder, my father would inevitably reply, “Because God made it that way. But why do you think that is?”
His message was clear: “Don’t rely on me - or anybody else - to think for you. Take that God-given curiosity of yours and do something with it. Sometimes, you’ll find an answer. And other times, you must depend on faith. But let everything - whether in reason or in faith - point you to the One who intended it all in the first place.”
After all, the first step to discovery is “I don’t know.”
However, the greatest tragedy for the human mind is to stay there, stagnant in the “I don’t know,” without ever pursuing a discovery. Kant said it well: “Enlightenment is mankind’s leaving behind its self-imposed immaturity.” As followers of Christ, we have been called to bring light into the darkness (and yes, this does apply to shedding the light of understanding into the darkness of confusion). And yet, so many of us choose to remain immature by simply being too lazy to think for ourselves. We sit in class, copying somebody else’s notes, reading SparkNotes instead of actual books, or simply listening to somebody else’s debate instead of engaging our minds and taking the courage to ask, “what do I think about that?”
My point: Stop it. We are big kids now, and if we choose to waste our college years by indoctrinating ourselves with somebody else’s efforts and thus cutting corners around the labor of thought, then we have missed the point. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t listen to the wisdom of others around us - yes, that is necessary and completely beneficial. However, we must allow their wisdom to sharpen our own, and ultimately, that we “may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” -Colossians 2:2-3.
So, in this case, allow me to echo Kant’s cries - have the courage to think for yourself. For we are cowards if we choose not to.
Soli Deo Gloria.
I think that it's a milestone in a Christian's walk when they admit to themselves that there is no possible way to fully understand God on this earth. But I also think that it's great when even though they have come to that realization, they don't stop trying.
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