Sunday Reflection: Cultivating a Sense of Mystery

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God.”

Deuteronomy 29:29

If you have lost your sense of mystery, then do what you must to retrieve it. Mystery emerges in the most simple of places. Most often it manifests itself in reaction to the beauty and goodness encountered in our everyday life—through feelings of awe and wonder, events that elicit thanksgiving.

The late German theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar wrote:

All things can be considered in two ways: as fact and as mystery. Simple people, farmers for instance, can often integrate both ways in a lovely harmony. In children it would for the most part be easy to develop a sense of mystery; but teachers and parents can seldom generate enough humility to speak of it.

Keeping and cultivating a sense of mystery protects against pride and keeps us as children before the Lord. As I think through how to keep mystery in my life, three pathways emerge.

Pace of Life. Evaluate your everyday—your context. Mystery reveals itself to the simple because their pace of life allows them to encounter more. The to and fro of busyness can too often blind us with a false sense of efficiency and success. Slow down and see life. If you do, mystery will blindside you daily and in the most uncommon of ways.

Offering of Praise. Celebrate the simple things. Celebrate the beautiful things. “Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him” (Psalm 33:1). As God’s children it makes sense to celebrate him for all that he has done and will do. “Praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment,” writes C. S. Lewis.

A Thankful Heart. Thankfulness marks the contented heart. Not so the prideful heart. Pride desires more—and even more, it bears the insatiable mark of avarice. When we say thank-you to God, we live in the contentment of his grace-blessing.

Today’s Prayer

Lord Jesus, forgive me for not offering more praise and thanksgiving, and help me to pace myself better. These three things I seek. I want to leave room for your mystery.

This post is excerpted from my book Longing For More: Daily Reflections on Finding God in the Rhythms of Life. You can pick up this 52-week devotional here.