Further Insight Into the Value of Uncertainty
[Greetings and good morning, brothers and sisters. This is Dr. James Perry continuing with our series where we seek to explore the deeper meanings of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Over the years, the heavenly Father has revealed many revelations of spiritual truth to me, and I want to share them with you. This morning we ponder our lives as we consider further insight into the value of uncertainty.
And now, sit back and listen to today's message
Further Insight into the Value of Uncertainty
"But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father." Mark, Chapter 13, Verse 32
Brothers and sisters, in today’’s broadcast, we shall further explore the value of uncertainty. We shall train our microscope of faith upon the value of uncertainty and gain further insight into its necessity. We shall discover how the meaning of uncertainty applies to our lives. Indeed we shall see how this truth is essential to our spiritual growth and development, even how it is essential to our very spiritual survival. We shall use a hypothetical material analogy to help us grasp the meaning of this unexpected truth.
One upon a time in a faraway land of wishful thinking, there lived a man in the "Land of No Surprises." In this land, nothing unexpected ever happened. From the time he was born to the time that he expired, he knew everything that was going to happen to him. Every moment of his life was opened to his eyes. He even knew the day that he was going to die, even knew the hour and the moment. Nothing ever happened that was not known. As he lived his life, there was no need for any curiosity, for there was nothing to be curious about. There was no need for imagination, for there was nothing to imagine, everything that could ever be was already known. There was no need for faith, for there were no hidden mysteries, no need to plan for the future, therefore no need for foresight.
And since there was nothing unknown, there was no need for trust or hope. There was no need for inspiration, for there was nothing to inspire to, no sudden flight upon the wings of new ideals. There were no challenges since there were no difficulties to overcome. Every morning when he got up, the same thing happened in the same way. There was no change, nothing to cause anxiety for there were no anticipations, no frustrations for there were no unknown difficult barriers or obstacles in his path that he did not know about, and nothing to cause depression as there were no losses. There was nothing to cause sadness and nothing to cause happiness. Life was drab and unbelievably boring. There was no stress. This is exactly what one could expect if there were no uncertainty or if one knew the future. But why should certainty produce a situation that is devoid of all meanings and values that make life worthwhile.
And now we are ready to view the truth about life--that it is uncertain and its future is closed to our vision. Always must we live in the present, and the past is always behind us forever unchanged. And even though we can’’t see the future, our activities in the present are definitely determining our future. Because we are growing human beings, all worthwhile values must acquired by the process of growth, and these values only become actual when the appropriate stimuli is supplied, and thus the need for uncertainty and ignorance of the future.
Let us examine values that are lacking in a certain and known future. When everything is known and there are no expected surprises, there is no need for curiosity to develop. When there is no need to solve difficulties, when there are no barriers to overcome, there can be no need for the creative imagination to function. And when there is nothing to be explained, when there are no mysteries that exist beyond the human grasp, faith is not needed. And we know that faith is the one thing that is necessary for us to survive this life. We must believe Jesus " . . . Mortal man earns even his status as an ascension candidate by his own faith and hope. Everything divine which the human mind grasps and the human soul acquires is an experiential attainment; it is a reality of personal experience and is therefore a unique possession." This faith bursts into the human soul because of the inexplicable fact of being mortal and the overwhelming desire to survive mortal death. This desire in the face of the mortal fact allows the mortal to survive mortal death in his soul.
And living in a world where one never knows what is going to happen next gives birth to hope, for hope arises in the face of the inability to change things today with the promise of a better tomorrow.
Without the difficulties of life, without the anxiety, the depression, there could not be any growth, since there would be no need for growth. Without the stress of problematic situations, there would be no need to mobilize the potential powers of the self to solve them. Without the ever looming states of anxiety and depression, there would be no opportunity to develop trust in the face of anxiety and depression producing situations, no need to summon courage and develop moral stamina. Without sadness, there would be no reason to appreciate happiness.
Without uncertainty there would be no basis for the exhilarating feeling of discovering something new. There would be no need for the functioning of curiosity without uncertainty. Without the ignorance of the future, life would be dull and boring. We would wither on the vine of life, and vanish from the planet. It is the not knowing that keeps our wits sharp, and keeps us ready to meet the challenges of life, challenges that are essential for our growth and development. Without the pressure of a difficult situation, we would not move forward. Without the ever incessant demand for progress, we would still be living in caves. Without the status of incompletion we would never strive for completion for divine perfection. It is this uncertainty and ignorance of the future that allows us to have a contented continuity of life, for nothing satisfies like success, the overcoming of obstacles and barriers that stand in the way, the overcoming of which constitute growth and ever-increasing knowledge.
And while we have more of less examined the positive aspects of the value of experience, there is quite a bit to be learned from the negative aspects of our existence. We don’’t usually associate positive qualities with the downside of life--those episodes that are filled with pain, suffering, and disappointment. Surely these experiences generate despair, hopelessness, depression and anxiety. Surely we think that if we knew when and if they were coming, we would be in a position to ameliorate them or at least prepare for them. But such is not the case. These negative experiences of life also have the function of generating hope, faith, and trust, for they are powerful stimuli for seeking the Father’’s will, to gain that assurance that nothing of spiritual value is ever lost, and to hear those divine words that say "The night might be dark, but joy comes in the morning." When the soul cries out "that it won’’t be this way always," it is displaying the essence of hope, a condition that only faith can justify and only time can clarify and verify.
When the soul continues in this experience of uncertainty and ignorance of the future, it develops a sublime trust in the goodness of God, and the human self may go right on suffering, but the soul cries "My Vindicator lives." And if the soul’’s Vindicator lives, then the soul lives also. And we can now see that all of these positive qualities that come out of uncertainty and ignorance of the future ensure a contented life of continuity, for boredom and stagnation are the hallmark of discontent, a condition that never happens in this life unless the self refuses to go forward into the unknown and uncertainty future. A life that is filled with curiosity, excitement, anticipation, and worthy challenges, and successful problem solving is indeed a contented life, and it is all made possible because of the environment of uncertainty.
This concludes today's message on understanding further insight into the meaning of the value of uncertainty. We hope you find something in this message to ponder and pray about as you go about your day.
Until next time, this is Dr. James Perry.
Your Kingdom Come; Thy Will Be Done!
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By Dr. James Perry
Further Insight into the Value of Uncertainty
