The Question That Answered Me
A month ago I received a phone call from an unknown number, which I answered *solely* because I believed it was my eye doctor.
“Hello,” said a kind grandmotherly voice (decidedly not my eye doctor), “I’m calling because I know lots of people are having a hard time right now and I wanted to check in to see if you’re okay.”
“That’s so kind of you—” I began to answer.
“—Really??” she interrupted, That’s so nice of you to say. We have had lots of. . .differing responses to our phone calls.”
After reassuring her that I did, in fact, appreciate her unexpected call, I proceeded to launch into a brief yet honest assessment of my mental health and my own questions about how she was doing amidst such trying times. . .which I sensed made her feel a bit uncomfortable. I don’t think she bargained on getting a former counselor, a Christian, and an altogether curious interviewer and purveyor of human stories on the other end of the line. In all fairness, I didn’t bargain on getting not-my-eye-doctor, but there we were.
As it turns out, “Sandi” should not have had my number at all and does not know how it was obtained. It was simply placed on a call list of local numbers that was handed to her as part of her church’s outreach. She lives in a town fifteen miles away that I’ve driven through once or twice, always on my way to someplace else. As a Jehovah’s Witness, she remarked that perhaps it was no accident that she reached me, a fellow person of faith.
I think Sandi was right, but for reasons she could not have known. Here’s why: as we concluded our conversation, she said,
“I’ll leave you with one final question: What do you think the Kingdom of God is?”
After a beat of silence, my heart began to quicken and I wondered at how God had shown up in our in our midst—because it is exactly this question that I have been pondering for months. It’s the answer I look for every day—the hidden treasure, the secret joy, traces of heaven, the lost coin, the extraordinary clothed in the ordinary—the Kingdom of God. This question is why I write and why I still have hope when the kingdoms of this world come crashing down around me. All of this rushed through my mind in a matter of 30 seconds as I realized Sandi was probably waiting for my reply.
What is the Kingdom of God? Where can it be found?
Part of me felt anxious because I sensed I wouldn’t be given much time to do a theological brush-up before answering, but another part of me felt grateful for the moment’s insistence that I actually articulate my thoughts on the Kingdom of God.
In response, I said something like this:
“Well, Jesus said the kingdom of God has come near, and it’s ‘at hand,’ so I think it’s like. . .a promise. A promise that is happening now and will be fulfilled in the age to come.”
My answer was far from complete, but it gave me the opportunity to read more and discover that Jesus himself wondered the same question aloud during his teaching. In Mark 4, Jesus asks:
“What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it?”
In other words, how do we make the invisible visible in our hearts, minds, and lives? Jesus did it through parables, stories composed of everyday elements such as a farmer planting seeds, a stumbled-upon treasure, a fishing net, a beautiful pearl.
After my conversation with Sandi, I struggled to find the best way to communicate how much her question had meant to me. How can I describe the wonder and hope I experienced in our brief exchange? Allow me to tell you, in a parable.
The Kingdom of God is like receiving an unexpected phone call and being asked the perfect question, crafted for you by the heart of God. This question assures you how seen and known you are by your Creator. The Kingdom of God is like a question that leaves you fuller than it found you.
Perhaps living in and discovering the Kingdom of God is more about asking the right questions than having all the answers.
So. If no providential Sandi has inquired lately, I have a question for you: