The cat is in a sealed opaque box. With it is a vial of poison and a mechanism to spill it. The mechanism will start only if a certain event occurs, and that event is unpredictable. If that poison spills, the cat will die.
This cat is the central figure in the famous experiment of physicist Erwin Schrödinger. The experiment was purely theoretical: There was never a real cat, any poison, or a box to put them in. It was just a mental exercise. So, no actual cats were harmed in the making of this reflection.
Schrödinger‘s thought experiment served to illustrate a point: Until we open the box—and see with our own eyes—we cannot know whether the cat is alive or dead. From a physics standpoint, nothing has actually occurred—yet. The cat is constantly either alive or dead. Until we open the box and find out for certain, the cat is in a continuous state of possibility.
Have I lost you? Hang on. We're done with the science-y stuff. What it means, in everyday terms, is this: We cannot know what we cannot know.
In other words: Anything is possible.
That “not knowing” brings me to this week’s Genesis passage about Joseph. There are many treasures to be mined from the story of Joseph—the limits of prophecy, fractured families, the power of forgiveness, even agronomics. But for me, it's this “not knowing” that keeps me coming back to Joseph. It’s in this that we are like him.
When it comes to what to do and say when things go wrong, Joseph is a great model for us. Throughout his life, Joseph had many awful experiences. At each critical moment, Joseph—not knowing the future God had planned for him—could have chosen either way. Just like us. At each challenge point, he chose to behave in a way that was pleasing to God. He did this even though there were no Ten Commandments to guide his behavior. Joseph lived long before God gave the Law to Moses.
His life—and his choices—underscore this truth: Anyone can know right from wrong.
We, like Joseph, remain in a continuous state of possibility. That state only changes when we "open the box," so to speak. Until we choose a course of action—in that nanosecond before our thoughts settle into our choice—we can go either way. And like Joseph, none of us can actually know our future.
But God can.
God sees all our possibilities. God always knew Joseph would someday lead Egypt. God can see into “the box," if you will. So, if we will allow ourselves to trust God as Joseph did, God will guide us into the best path—and, perhaps, to achievements undreamed.
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PHOTO: “Black Box” by Steve Orr
"The task is, not so much to see what no one has yet seen, but to think what nobody has yet thought about that which everybody sees."
—Erwin Schrödinger
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DaySpring’s Friday Lectionary Breakfast is a great way to start the weekend. Join us at 8:00am on Zoom** or in person at Our Breakfast Place for food, fellowship, scripture, and hijinks (is that still a word?).
Blessings,
Steve
**Zoom link (Zoom allows you to mute the camera and the microphone if you don’t wish to be seen or heard.)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89947678414
SCRIPTURES FOR SUNDAY AND THE COMING WEEK
Genesis 45:3-11, 15
Psalm 37:1-11, 39-40
1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50
Luke 6:27-38
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