The Mystery that Matters

Years ago, Rusty was fishing in Big Shoal Creek in one of our kayaks. He called and said he was ready to leave but couldn't find his keys. He looked in the kayak, the truck, and on the ground before determining that he had dropped them in the creek. He needed me to bring his spare truck key. Since it's only a couple of miles from the house, this wouldn't have been too big of an issue, if my car would have been at home. With no other way to go, I hopped on the four-wheeler and rode it down the shoulder of the highway making my way to Shoal Creek. He assured me that he had looked everywhere, and the keys had to be at the bottom of the stream.

We recently decided to sell two of our kayaks that had not been used in quite a while. I pulled them from the back yard to wash them up before taking pictures to list them. I was frustrated when I realized that keeping them propped against a tree may not have been the best idea as a squirrel had chewed a hole on the rear top side of the blue one. It looked as if it decided to munch on the rubber stopper and didn't know when to quit. I now had a 2" x 3" hole in the top of something I had hoped to sell. Since it wouldn't affect the functionality, I slapped some tape on it and listed it for a discounted price, but imagine my surprise when I stood the 10-foot kayak on its end to drain and a large set of rusty keys fell out of the new hole. If it were not for the squirrel, we would have never known that they were in the kayak the entire time. Ten years later and the mystery was solved.

Sometimes, we will never know all of the answers to the mysteries that surround us. What happened to something that we lost? Why did a situation turn out the way it did? What will happen in the future? As Christians, we turn to the Bible for many answers we seek in our walk with Christ. Even then, answers may not always be clear this side of heaven. However, there is one mystery that is considered the heart of the Christian faith. The answer it provides is all we really need to know.

In 1 Timothy 3:16, right after Paul lists the qualifications for pastors and deacons, he writes what is referred to as "the mystery of godliness". One simple verse, a hymn of praise, summarizes the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. It's a mystery worth considering.

I am writing these things to you now, even though I hope to be with you soon, so that if I am delayed, you will know how people must conduct themselves in the household of God. This is the church of the living God, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth. -1 Timothy 3:14-15

Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith:

Christ was revealed in a human body and vindicated by the Spirit.

He was seen by angels and announced to the nations.

He was believed in throughout the world and taken to heaven in glory. - 1 Timothy 3:16

My prayer this week is that I spend less time focused on the mysteries that don't matter and more time on the One that does. In the end, it won't matter where the keys were or why a situation didn't turn out like I wanted. It will matter how I lived my life during those mysterious times and what I did with the One who gave His all for me.