The Romance of Mystery

The whole secret of mysticism is this: that man can understand everything by the help of what he does not understand.

- G.K. Chesterton

I do love a good mystery. There is always something to think about when all is not known. I will admit, though, I have trouble in life sometimes when mysteries present themselves, such as when a big change comes suddenly that I was not expecting or when one of the most powerful hurricanes is heading straight for my area and the path is not completely clear. These daily life mysteries leave me tense and uncertain. I like clarity and appreciate information.

But good stories help remind me to embrace the mystery and to live in that mystery. If we are intentional, we might be able to gradually live into the answers. I have learned that oftentimes in the mystery we can catch glimpses of God's space, and use our senses and feelings to shape and build what we cannot see yet.

I have always enjoyed a mystery story every now and then, starting with Nancy Drew books when I was a teenager. There was always a sense of wonder in me, as I would read about Nancy daringly walking into a dangerous situation to find clues and information about something she tried to solve. Her penchant for knowing more and gathering more clues was keenly felt within myself.

Lately, I have discovered Dorothy L. Sayers and her mystery stories, particularly Gaudy Night, which is set in Oxford in the 1930's. The book is a mixture of some of my favourite components: a love letter to Oxford, a mystery set within a college of which Harriet is a senior member, and the mysterious friendship/relationship between Harriet and Lord Peter. The book is brimming with intelligence and wit, alongside clues and mishaps. 

I love that Sayers writes not only about the mystery. The mystery seems to be a side note sometimes, but the relationships are a key focus. Even when the mystery is capturing the scene, it always seems to be in the background, in the mind of Harriet or Lord Peter. Harriet has to grapple with issues deep within herself, and her past, in order to see clearly how she truly feels about Peter. And that will change everything. Peter has to dwell in patience, and he holds fast to the notion that he knows he cannot change Harriet's heart. He cannot make decisions for her, and he has to embrace her independent and intelligent spirit, which he does. It is so beautiful to see all of that develop through the book. There are plenty of charming passages, with all the British humour and wit. I delight in the whole of it, and I find myself captured by the mystery of it all.

If we can learn to appreciate the mystery, and wrap ourselves into it, we may see more than we can even hope for, sometimes that which is revealed to us in mystery opens up the truth of what we long for, allowing us to know ourselves more deeply, and thereby knowing who we are in God.