Lately I’ve been struck by the paradoxes we face when following Jesus—how concepts that don’t seem to play well with each other somehow hold hands in God’s kingdom. It’s strange and uncomfortable. It’s often unclear.

But more and more, I find that so much of life with God is learning to be in that tension. To be people of both heaven and earth.

One particular nuance has been pulling my arms in opposite directions these days: the virtues of pursuit + surrender. One requires grit and gusto, a willingness to dig in and do the work. The other is an abandonment, a letting go.

Both are essential. But learning to hold them well often leaves me feeling torn.

And maybe that’s the point.

Maybe it’s where we rip a little that God seeps in, where we get reacquainted with our need and become ravenous for his healing.

Perhaps it is in the paradox where enough Light breaks in so we can see beyond the black and white, where the unknown makes way for knowing and for being known.

Maybe sitting with mystery is where we find that following Jesus is not a formula but a terrifying leap into Truth himself.

Paradox invites us into a way of Jesus that is not about comfort but communion—to drink deep of a cup that is both bitter and sweet.

REFLECT:
What paradoxes are pulling at you these days? What seemingly conflicting concepts are you struggling to reconcile?

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