Knowing and Unknowing

 “God is so great that we cannot begin to know him. No one can begin to understand eternity.” (Job 36:26 TLB)

St. John of the Cross was a Spanish priest and poet who lived in the 1500’s. He was jailed and tortured for trying to reform the Church. While he was imprisoned, he wrote about uncertainty. 

“I entered into unknowing

Yet when I saw myself there

Without knowing where I was

I understood great things;

I shall not say what I felt

For I remained in unknowing

Transcending all knowledge.

That perfect knowledge

Was of peace and holiness.”

—St. John of the Cross

 

If you are sick or injured, you are unable to take care of even basic bodily functions. Any illusions of mastery are stripped away. Uncertainty is uncomfortable, but it can guide us to unexplored territory. When we enter into unknown spaces, we are forced to give up our delusions of control. 

Powerlessness brings us to our knees. We enter into the unknown. In the dark silence we are helpless. And it is here we learn to let go, to admit that there is understanding beyond knowledge. If we remain in the unknowing, we are given glimpses of insights. Peace and holiness settle our souls. We realize that God is so great that we cannot begin to know Him. No one can begin to understand eternity. God transcends all knowledge.