Mystery
The first time I heard the word “Mystery”, I did not understand what it meant. I had the idea that something is a mystery only because its solution has not yet been found. But “mystery” is different from “Mystery”. By its very nature Mystery cannot be solved, can never be known. It can only be lived.
We have not been raised to cultivate a sense of Mystery. Mystery does not require action; it requires our attention. Mystery requires that we listen and become open.
A sense of Mystery can take us beyond disappointment and judgment to a place of expectancy. It opens in us an attitude of listening and respect. Knowing this enables us to listen to life from the place in us that is Mystery also. Mystery requires that we relinquish an endless search for answers and become willing to not understand, that we be open to witness.
Perhaps real wisdom lies in not seeking answers at all. An answer is a place where we can fall asleep as life moves past us to its next question. I have begun to wonder is the secret to living well is not in having all the answers but in pursuing unanswerable questions in good company.
From My Grandfather’s Blessings, Rachel Naomi Remen
Where in my life has a sense of Mystery made itself known?