The concept of both/and is one of my favorite aspects of Lutheran theology. It’s closely tied to the idea of paradox, the notion that two seemingly contradictory things can both be true at the same time. It flies directly in the face of the “either/or”, “this or that” way of living that the world tries to force on us. As you all know, life is never that simple. Things are very rarely cut and dry, black and white, but rather some complex and intricate shade of gray (not to mention every other color of the rainbow). Luther talked about how are both Saint and Sinner. We know that Jesus was simultaneously fully human and fully divine – two things that sure don’t seem like they could both be true at the same time, and yet they are.
The concept of both/and is one of my favorite aspects of Lutheran theology. It’s closely tied to the idea of paradox, the notion that two seemingly contradictory things can both be true at the same time. It flies directly in the face of the “either/or”, “this or that” way of living that the world tries to force on us. As you all know, life is never that simple. Things are very rarely cut and dry, black and white, but rather some complex and intricate shade of gray (not to mention every other color of the rainbow). Luther talked about how are both Saint and Sinner. We know that Jesus was simultaneously fully human and fully divine – two things that sure don’t seem like they could both be true at the same time, and yet they are.
Additionally, whenever we talk about two things that don’t seem like they should go together, we can be tempted to use “but” instead of “and” which has a way of negating the first part of the sentence. We say things like, “It’s been a really hard month, but there’s so much to be grateful for in my life.” The difficulties of the past month are downplayed in light of the blessings. Those blessings are indeed important to acknowledge and remember, and (I struggled not to type “but” right there, which is proof that this stuff takes practice) it’s important to not downplay one truth because of another. Both things need to be acknowledged, fully felt, and given the space they deserve. I mention all of this because there is a lot of both/and-ness for me in life these days as Alissa and I raise our now month-old son Zachary. The lack of sleep, the steep learning curve, and the seemingly endless to-do list are really hard. We feel tired, and at times overwhelmed. And … not but … and we feel so incredibly lucky, blessed, and overjoyed to have this new addition to our lives. Here the “and” allows space for both things to be true, because they both are true. We are tired, and we are blessed.
I really think that both/and is a much more truthful, honest, and accurate way of understanding life. So, if you are having a hard time with competing or contradicting feelings, give yourself some grace and space. And instead of trying to reconcile them with each other, try to simply let both things be true. Don’t downplay the complexity of your rich inner life for the sake of simplicity. Human beings are complicated creatures that can contain multitudes. Or at the very least, we can be/feel two different things at the same time – even if those two things seem to contradict one another.
In Peace and Love, Pastor Sam