“Father, what is sex-sin?”

And so begins one of my favorite stories from one of my favorite childhood biographies, The Hiding Place.  The book chronicles the life of Dutch resistance fighter and committed Christian Corrie Ten Boom who, along with her family, defied the Nazi occupation of Holland in WW2, masterminded a nationwide underground network to hide persecuted Jews and ultimately suffered and survived two years in a German concentration camp.  For her sacrifice, the nation of Israel has honored her as “Righteous Among the Nations.” It’s an incredible story. I bet I’ve read the book a dozen times.

The biography is full of lively tales from Corrie’s childhood. And this one takes place when she was just a small girl.  I’m not sure why I liked it so much as a boy, but I’m pretty sure it had something to do with the fact that it had the word “sex” in it.

Corrie and her father were riding home from Amsterdam on the train after a trip to procure parts and supplies for the family’s watch-making business.  She had come across the unknown phrase at school and wanted some clarification.

“What is sex-sin?”

Corrie recounts her father’s response:

He turned to look at me, as he always did when answering a question, but to my surprise he said nothing. At last, he stood up, lifted his traveling case from the rack over our heads, and set it on the floor.

“Will you carry it off the train, Corrie?” he said.

I stood up and tugged at it.  It was crammed with the watches and spare parts he had purchased that morning.

“It’s too heavy,” I said.

“Yes,” he said. “And it would be a pretty poor father who would ask his little girl to carry such a load.  It’s the same way, Corrie, with knowledge.  Some knowledge is too heavy for children.  When you are older and stronger you can bear it.  For now, you must trust me to carry it for you.”

And I was satisfied. More than satisfied- wonderfully at peace.

There were answers to this and all my hard questions- for now I was content to leave them in my father’s keeping.

As I look at the chaos in our world today, I can really relate to Corrie’s hard questions.  And I have a few of my own. Why have we endured a world-wide pandemic and when will it end?  What is to be done about Russian aggression and how can we avoid an escalation that leads to a larger confrontation?   Will inflation continue to roar out of control and completely devalue my retirement savings?  And… more immediate, what is this world coming to, when an 18-year-old boy murders a classroom full of 4^th graders at school?

These are big questions, and we are not alone in asking them.  The Psalmist had some pretty big questions as well:

“Why do the nations conspire, and the people plot in vain?” Psalm 2:1

“My soul is in anguish. How long, O LORD, how long?” Psalm 6:3

“Why, O LORD, do you stand far off?  Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” Psalm 10:1

“How long will my enemy triumph over me?” Psalm 13:2

“Will evil doers never learn- those who devour my people as men eat bread?” Psalm 14:4

What are we to do with our unanswered questions?

Take them to the Father and leave them in his care. And much like Corrie, we most likely will not get complete answers. Because if we did, we might find ourselves unable to carry the weight of that knowledge.  But we CAN take our anxiety to God. We can leave our questions in his care.  And when we do, our good Father takes our concerns and exchanges them for his peace.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God. and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:6-7

That’s a pretty good trade. Don’t you think?

As a Christian, it doesn’t surprise me that I have so many unanswered questions and unsolvable problems. We live in a messed-up world, full of chaos, evil and sin. We have a sworn enemy who “comes only to steak and kill and destroy (John 10:10).” We are in enemy territory, working with limited knowledge and so life often doesn’t make sense.  It’s all part of the human condition this side of eternity.

The Apostle Paul puts it this way,

Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; 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

As a child of God, I take comfort that a better day is coming and one day things will become crystal clear and I will see my Savior face to face. But for now, with partial knowledge and vision, we trust and obey.