“What’s wrong with knowing what you know now and not knowing what you don’t know until later?” – Winnie-the-Pooh
I don’t like not knowing. It’s uncomfortable. It’s what you might call bothersome. In fact, I’ve been wrestling with not knowing things all day. For example, I don’t know where the above quote comes from or why Pooh is supposed to have said it. Skimming of books and scouring of Google yields no answers, and the Not Knowing continues to bug me. But never mind, there’s a lot of wisdom to be had even from a misquoted Pooh.
Of course, this is an incredibly minor detail among the vast repository of things I don’t know. Not Knowing is a large part of the human experience throughout our lives. When we’re children, most of our time is occupied in learning about the world in one way or another. That’s why kids are notoriously inquisitive—always asking “why” almost as soon as they can talk. They know there’s a lot they don’t know, and so they’re in a hurry to catch up. When we grow up and become adults…well, there’s still a lot we don’t know, and we’re still learning about the world. Collectively as humans, there are still plenty of gaps in our knowledge about the physical universe and even our own planet. More than 80% of the ocean hasn’t been explored yet, and let’s not even mention space.
Beyond the physical universe, there are a lot of things we don’t know about the spiritual world. Much about angels, about heaven, and about God is still a mystery to us. The Bible tells us a lot, but not everything. God’s knowledge and understanding will always far surpass our own. For a ‘short’ list of some things God knows and we don’t, see Job chapters 38-39. At the end of it all, Job says “Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know” (42:3). In fact, Jesus said there are certain things we can’t know, at least for now: “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. […] Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come” (Matthew 24: 36, 42).
But it’s our nature to want to know. Not only are we naturally curious, but Knowing gives us a kind of control. But as I’m reconciling myself to the fact that there’s a lot I’m just not going to know until I’m ready for it, I’m realizing that while Not Knowing can feel unsettling, it can also be a blessing and an opportunity.
Not knowing is an opportunity to learn. It’s difficult to learn when you think you know everything already. Acknowledging what we don’t understand opens up a willingness to be taught. That 80% of the ocean is an invitation to explore! Similarly, admitting that we don’t know everything about God is an invitation to spend the rest of eternity discovering more about Him. But sometimes when we don’t know, we pretend we do. We fill in the gaps in our understanding with made up things, like medieval maps with monsters at the edge of the world. Pretending we know what we don’t stops us from learning, and claiming to know what we can’t can be harmful to us and to others.
Not knowing is sometimes an opportunity to wait. What happens when a five-year-old asks a question about something that’s beyond their level of understanding or maturity? Their parent tells them to wait until they’re older and ready to know the answer. Likewise, the Bible suggests that we will need to wait for complete knowledge: “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror [the KJV says ‘through a glass, darkly’]; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12, NIV). This verse comes after the passage where Paul is describing love, saying that prophecy and knowledge will fade away, but love never fails. Someday, what we think we know now won’t matter. Our knowledge and love will be made more complete later, but not right away.
Not knowing is an opportunity to trust. While it may not be possible to know everything God knows, it is possible to know God. Jesus’ sacrifice has opened a way for us to have a direct relationship with God through Him, because anyone who has seen Jesus has seen the Father (John 14:9). Knowing and trusting Him allows us to be patient with not knowing. We faithfully follow Him even without understanding everything fully. We still seek to understand as much as possible, but we don’t distress over what we don’t know now. If we trust that God is good, we can trust that He will make sure we have what we need when we need it.
Perhaps patient Not Knowing is best summed up by another Pooh quote. I assure you this one at least is authentic, from A.A. Milne’s The House at Pooh Corner, where Pooh has just been dubbed a Faithful Knight by Christopher Robin and worries about understanding a lot of complicated facts:
“[Pooh] wondered if being a Faithful Knight meant that you just went on being faithful without being told things.” – The House at Pooh Corner, A.A. Milne
—————————————————