Living in the Question

It is common to describe the world we live in as a VUCA world. It is a term borrowed from the military and it stands for Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous. It’s all the things we hate about life. The very things we try to eliminate from our life.

But is an accurate description. It’s Volatile because the issues are unstable, the nature of the problems seem to change and we don’t know long they will last. It’s Uncertain because it’s unpredictable and full of surprises. It’s Complex because everything is interconnected and the volume of the information that we do have, is overwhelming. And it’s Ambiguous because there are so many unknowns, there are no precedents, and there is a high probability for misunderstandings and mixed messages. We are in uncharted waters.

We can all relate to that. Not only is the world around us changing but we feel it in our own lives as well. It makes us feel anxious and uncomfortable. It makes us long for the good ol’ days. We wonder who we can trust. We doubt. We tend to shut down. When God presents us with a question how do we react?

It is in the question—in the uncertainty—that we will find the most opportunity, the most insight, and the most growth. It is ripe with possibility. It is our response to change and uncertainty that we need to look at. How do we respond to change?

Keywords:
VUCA world – uncertainty – change – unknown – Laodicean Church – Revelation 3:14-18 – Ezekiel 13:10-12 – peace – humility – Ezra – Nehemiah – second temple – Ezra 3:10-13 – Isaiah 43:18-19 – living in the past – Jeremiah 33:2-3 – creation – Luke 12:7 – vengeance – blame – trust – 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 – doubt – Hebrews 11 – faith chapter – Hebrews 12:1-4 – focus on God