Sleeping At Last wrote a song called “101010” (don’t ask me) that postulates that grey is “the color / that most represents God’s eyes”.

The first time I heard the song, I scoffed a bit (hard to believe from me, I know). It felt too Disney. It felt like a compromise; a plea to stop fighting and just be content with a non-answer. An excuse to not work through complex issues. Not surprisingly, I bristled at that position.

In most cases, I think the process of wrestling through different sides of complex issues is worth it in itself whether or not it resolves in a common opinion. But I’ve been thinking about this analogy again recently and, though the analogy may still be a bit trite, I don’t think he’s so far off.

However, I don’t think it’s adequate to say that God just takes a middle-of-the-road stance on many of today’s debates. That he sees merit or validity in elements of both sides. I don’t think it’s just that He is better at appreciating the nuance of our complex experiences than we are. I think that He’s holistically bigger, higher, and more all-encompassing than we will ever hope to be. Maybe it’s not us against the issues (or against the people that take a different stance). I wish we engaged more in collectively looking for God’s opinion above, in, orchestrating and conducting the issues. I can’t wait until we get to heaven and have our minds repeatedly blown by how He makes sense of the unsensible. He creates resolution from irresolvable. And that’s exciting. Whatever color you paint it.

-LS