Complexity

I live not far from an Amish community, roughly 8 miles or so. It's not exactly on my way to anything, so I don't see or interact with the Amish too frequently. However, I do see them on their horse and buggies, have watched them work without electricity, and have generally seen how simple their lives can be. At times, I've been jealous. Sure, they are missing(have rejected) some creature comforts, but it allows them to block so much "noise" from their lives.

While technology needs to be restrained from taking over periods of silence and contemplation, I'm not envious of the Amish, or the monastics for that matter.

Any ninth grade biology student can tell you how complex basic genetic code is, or the various proteins. The human body is not a simple design. The hymn "For the Beauty of the Earth" states it this way:

"For the joy of ear and eye, for the heart and mind's delight
For the mystic harmony, linking sense to sound and sight"

The anatomy of the eye itself is astounding. Even more so, it's power to relay to the brain what it perceives reliably. My point is this, God did not create simply. Our bodies reflect his own mysteriousness. Our world does too, as it should.

For those of us who have a Libertarian-bent politically, it is often a temptation to look at red tape and want to scream for dramatic cuts in government. And while beauracracy is out of control, big government is not a bad government by definition. The complexities of the division of powers can be frustrating at times, but it is necessary.

For those who like simple, packaged answers to deep questions, this is a reminder that some questions don't have "yes" and "no" answers. There are intended to be complicated and mysterious. I was reminded of this again recently when debating with family members the question of whether you can lose your salvation. (for the record, I believe the question is put poorly, and it would be better to ask can any person have something other than the Christian Hope that they will persevere to the end). Verse after verse and argument after argument was raised. My father said simply, our salvation is more complicated than we realize. It is beyond something we can tie neatly in a box. It's complex.

It all comes down to the matter of control. Simple things we can grasp; wrap our minds around. These other matters about which the vast majority of us have little understanding, must simply be accepted and enjoyed as the product of a much more intelligent design than we could have offered.