Clarity.
I’ve been seeking it, praying for it, for months now. Years.
What’s next? Where should I be pouring my heart, my soul?
What am I waiting for?
Sometimes “clarity” comes in hints, like the first hints of springtime warmth through March clouds, but oftentimes it evaporates just as quickly (if you live in Chicago in particular, you know how fast “springtime warmth” disappears in March). At any rate, I’ve hungered for it so much. I want my next steps to be clear, to be paving-stone solid in front of me.
All of that disappeared in the rumpled-up paper of a Brennan Manning book (water-logged by a friend, but it was a sacrifice that was well worth it)…
“Craving clarity,” he writes, “we attempt to eliminate the risk of trusting God.”
Ouch.
At what point does “clarity” begin to war against “faith”? At what point does our desire for certainty undermine our need for trust and obedience?
I think I need to revise my prayers…
this is eric case 
Great stuff, man. Thank you for the reminder! Hope you and your awesome family are all doing well!
Sigh. Sorry about that. I’ll get you a new copy soon. Promise.
BTW, I refuse to accept a new copy. The bent pages of this one remind me of your journey, which is infinitely more important!
This sounds like meta-clarity, or clarity about the mystery of faith, or wisdom, or all of the above–it’s still really precious stuff! My favorite, and maybe now cliched, illustration of faith is of Indiana Jones. stepping out into the unknown, and the steps appearing as he steps out. So we all need courage to step out without those comforting guarantees that things will work out the way we want them to.
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