Inhabiting questions.

Try all you like, you cannot make "Jesus is the answer" appear anywhere in the Bible or any other holy book. Part of the human quest may be a search for answers, but many other parts of our transformation involve learning to inhabit questions. As with the letter to the young adult in the previous entry, we  do a disservice to people when we try to walk them too quickly towards an answer because it makes us feel more comfortable. This morning I read about the misguided help of Job's friends in Spiritual Direction: Wisdom for the Long Walk of Faith:

Thus, to receive spiritual help in time of need requires, first of all, not to deny but to affirm the search. Painful questions must be raised, faced, and then lived. This means that we must constantly avoid the temptation of offering or accepting simple answers, to be easy defenders of God, the Church, the tradition, or whatever we feel called to defend. Experience suggests that such glib apologies animate hostility and anger, and finally a growing alienation from whom we are trying to defend. Be careful when life's questions swirl around you in times of pain. Beware of easy answers or guarantees. Seek the companionship of others who will befriend you and listen as you live the questions of your life. (emphasis mine)

Any spiritual guide who anxiously avoids the painful search and nervously fills the gap created by unanswerable questions should be viewed with caution. When seeking guidance, we are susceptible to a superficial search for easy answers and shallow meaning. Living into a new way of self-understanding and spiritual depth is aided by having a sturdy spiritual companion or soul friend. The best guides are willing to be silent yet present, and are comfortable with unknowing. God's Spirit is ultimately the sole source of spiritual guidance, comfort, and knowing.