---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There must be, and, if we are honest…"
description: "\"“There must be, and, if we are honest, there always will be at least one situation in our lives that we cannot fix, control, explain, change, or even u..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f12/richard-rohr-618_crucifixion_there-must-be-and-if-we-are-honest-there_2731044.jpg"
---

#  There must be, and, if we are honest, there always will be…

![“There must be, and, if we are honest, there always will be at least one situation in our lives that we cannot fix, control, explain, change, or even understand. For Jesus and for his followers, the crucifixion became the dramatic symbol of that necessary and absurd stumbling stone.” quote by Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f12/richard-rohr-618_crucifixion_there-must-be-and-if-we-are-honest-there_2731044.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f12/richard-rohr-618_crucifixion_there-must-be-and-if-we-are-honest-there_2731044.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f12/richard-rohr-618_crucifixion_there-must-be-and-if-we-are-honest-there_2731044.jpg)

> ““There must be, and, if we are honest, there always will be at least one situation in our lives that we cannot fix, control, explain, change, or even understand. For Jesus and for his followers, the crucifixion became the dramatic symbol of that necessary and absurd stumbling stone.””

[Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Human experience includes unresolvable mysteries; the crucifixion exemplifies the necessary, absurd stumbling stone of faith.

**In simple terms:** Some things cannot be fixed.

Key Takeaway

Embrace mystery as a catalyst for growth.

Themes

faith mystery human limitation

Mood

solemn hopeful

Type

theological philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal crisis
- spiritual counseling
- grief processing
- ethical dilemmas

Key Concepts

theology existentialism paradox

Questions to Reflect On

- What “unstoppable” situation have you faced?
- How can accepting uncertainty deepen faith?

A Different Perspective

Insisting on control can cause frustration and spiritual stagnation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Crucifixion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crucifixion/) [Jesus followers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus-followers/)

## Related quotes

> [“You are the way and the wayfarers. And when one of you falls down he falls for those behind him, a caution against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/you-are-the-way-and-the-wayfarers-and-when-one-of-you-falls-down-he/)

[Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/)

> [And when one of you falls down he falls for those behind him, a caution against the stumbling stone. Ay, and he falls for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/and-when-one-of-you-falls-down-he-falls-for-those-behind-him-a-2/)

[Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/)

> [“Be careful your footsteps do not stumble by the stumbling stone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/be-careful-your-footsteps-do-not-stumble-by-the-stumbling-stone/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [“And when one of you falls down he falls for those behind him, a caution against the stumbling stone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/and-when-one-of-you-falls-down-he-falls-for-those-behind-him-a/)

[Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/)

> [“Oftentimes have I heard you speak of one who commits a wrong as though he were not one of you, but a stranger unto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/oftentimes-have-i-heard-you-speak-of-one-who-commits-a-wrong-as-2/)

[Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/)

> [Thinking is always the stumbling stone to poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/thinking-is-always-the-stumbling-stone-to-poetry/)

[Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/)

> [“Oftentimes have I heard you speak of one who commits a wrong as though he were not one of you, but a stranger unto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/oftentimes-have-i-heard-you-speak-of-one-who-commits-a-wrong-as/)

[Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/)

> [“Like a procession you walk together towards your god-self. You are the way and the wayfarers. And when one of you falls down he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/like-a-procession-you-walk-together-towards-your-god-self-you-are-the/)

[Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/)

> [“Aye, and he falls for those ahead of him, who, though faster and surer of foot, yet removed not the stumbling stone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/aye-and-he-falls-for-those-ahead-of-him-who-though-faster-and-surer/)

[Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/)

> [The message of "falling" - failure, death, crucifixion, whatever you want to say - is not really that. Some sort of falling is really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/the-message-of-falling-failure-death-crucifixion-whatever-you-want-to/)

[Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/)

> [The desertion of Jesus, by his followers, furnishes an argument in support of the supposition that he attempted to be king of the Jews,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/the-desertion-of-jesus-by-his-followers-furnishes-an-argument-in/)

[Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/)

> [That Jesus’ followers (and later Paul) had resurrection experiences is, in my judgment, a fact. What the reality was that gave rise to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-p-sanders/that-jesus-followers-and-later-paul-had-resurrection-experiences-is/)

E. P. Sanders

> [“Jesus Followers are called to be reflectors of His character, servants of his grace, ambassadors of His message and magnifiers of His glory!” ~…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-patton/jesus-followers-are-called-to-be-reflectors-of-his-character-servants/)

[Gary Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-patton/)

> [“Jesus himself remains an enigma. There have been interesting attempts to uncover the figure of the ‘historical’ Jesus, a project that has become something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/jesus-himself-remains-an-enigma-there-have-been-interesting-attempts/)

[Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/)

> [“The choice between James’s vision of a Jewish religion anchored in the Law of Moses and derived from a Jewish nationalist who fought against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/the-choice-between-james-s-vision-of-a-jewish-religion-anchored-in/)

[Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/)

## More by Richard Rohr

> [“We have become human doings more than human beings, and the verb “rest,” as Jesus uses it, is largely foreign to us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/we-have-become-human-doings-more-than-human-beings-and-the-verb-rest/)

[Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/)

> [In my opinion, most organized religion does neither agentic service nor relational nurturance very well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/in-my-opinion-most-organized-religion-does-neither-agentic-service/)

[Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/)

> [If we do not transform our pain, we will most assuredly transmit it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/if-we-do-not-transform-our-pain-we-will-most-assuredly-transmit-it/)

[Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/)

> [In solitude, at last, we’re able to let God define us the way we are always supposed to be defined—by relationship: the I-thou relationship,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/in-solitude-at-last-we-re-able-to-let-god-define-us-the-way-we-are/)

[Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/)

> [Pain and suffering that are not transformed are usually projected onto others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/pain-and-suffering-that-are-not-transformed-are-usually-projected/)

[Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/)

> [You cannot grow in the integrative dance of action and contemplation without a strong tolerance for ambiguity, an ability to allow, forgive, and contain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/you-cannot-grow-in-the-integrative-dance-of-action-and-contemplation/)

[Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/)

> [“In the end, we do not so much reclaim what we have lost as discover a significantly new self in and through the process.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/in-the-end-we-do-not-so-much-reclaim-what-we-have-lost-as-discover-a/)

[Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/)

> [All great spirituality is about what we do with our pain. If we do not transform our pain, we will transmit it to those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/all-great-spirituality-is-about-what-we-do-with-our-pain-if-we-do-not/)

[Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/)

> [“I would wonder if you could be a hero or heroine if you did not live in deep time, that is, Past, present, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/i-would-wonder-if-you-could-be-a-hero-or-heroine-if-you-did-not-live/)

[Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/)

> [Nature is the one song of praise that never stops singing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/nature-is-the-one-song-of-praise-that-never-stops-singing/)

[Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/)

> [“I believe contemplation shows us that nothing inside us is as bad as our hatred and denial of the bad. Hating and denying it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/i-believe-contemplation-shows-us-that-nothing-inside-us-is-as-bad-as/)

[Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/)

> [We don't have much wisdom about the second half when things really open up and end up looking a lot more progressive. In my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/we-don-t-have-much-wisdom-about-the-second-half-when-things-really/)

[Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/)

> [If you do not transform your wounds you will transmit them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/if-you-do-not-transform-your-wounds-you-will-transmit-them/)

[Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/)

> [The real spiritual journey is work. You can make a naïve assertion that you trust in Jesus, but until it is tested a good,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/the-real-spiritual-journey-is-work-you-can-make-a-na-ve-assertion/)

[Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/)

> [“The soul needs meaning as much as the body needs food.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/the-soul-needs-meaning-as-much-as-the-body-needs-food/)

[Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/)

[Explore all 443 Richard Rohr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/)

## More Crucifixion quotes

> [“Intellectualism is a poor master over passion”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twe-stephens/intellectualism-is-a-poor-master-over-passion/)

Twe Stephens

> [“The very mention of crucifixion was taboo in polite Roman circles, since it was the lowest form of capital punishment, reserved for slaves and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/the-very-mention-of-crucifixion-was-taboo-in-polite-roman-circles/)

[N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/)

> [“Mungu hutumia watu 'wajinga' na 'wapumbavu' kufanya mambo makubwa katika maisha yao na ya watu wengine. Katika Biblia, Musa aliitwa mjinga alipokiuka amri ya…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enock-maregesi/mungu-hutumia-watu-wajinga-na-wapumbavu-kufanya-mambo-makubwa-katika/)

[Enock Maregesi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enock-maregesi/)

> [A high place of honor, although doubtless one to be obtained only after enduring the pangs of a prolonged crucifixion, awaits that philosophical biologist,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-trumbull-ladd/a-high-place-of-honor-although-doubtless-one-to-be-obtained-only/)

[George Trumbull Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-trumbull-ladd/)

> [Every time that I think of the crucifixion of Christ, I commit the sin of envy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/every-time-that-i-think-of-the-crucifixion-of-christ-i-commit-the-sin/)

[Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/)

> [It costs God nothing, so far as we know, to create nice things: but to convert rebellious wills cost Him crucifixion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/it-costs-god-nothing-so-far-as-we-know-to-create-nice-things-but-to/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [Pretty much all films I've seen that depict the life of Christ end with the Crucifixion, almost like the filmmakers don't know what to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-fiennes/pretty-much-all-films-i-ve-seen-that-depict-the-life-of-christ-end/)

[Joseph Fiennes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-fiennes/)

> [A Gustave Courbet portrait of a trout has more death in it than Rubens could get in a whole Crucifixion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hughes/a-gustave-courbet-portrait-of-a-trout-has-more-death-in-it-than/)

[Robert Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hughes/)

> [How myopic it is to view His ministry as all crucifixion and no resurrection!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/how-myopic-it-is-to-view-his-ministry-as-all-crucifixion-and-no/)

[Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/)

> [Only with great care. For thousands, carols will be their only link with a church. At the same time, sentimentality is perhaps the single…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-begbie/only-with-great-care-for-thousands-carols-will-be-their-only-link/)

[Jeremy Begbie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-begbie/)

> [So shall we join the disciples of our Lord, keeping faith in Him in spite of the crucifixion, and making ready, by our loyalty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillips-brooks/so-shall-we-join-the-disciples-of-our-lord-keeping-faith-in-him-in/)

[Phillips Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillips-brooks/)

> [A dead Christ I must do everything for; a living Christ does everything for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-murray/a-dead-christ-i-must-do-everything-for-a-living-christ-does/)

[Andrew Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-murray/)

> [Let us look upon a crucified Christ, the remedy of all our miseries. His cross hath procured a crown, his passion hath expiated our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-charnock/let-us-look-upon-a-crucified-christ-the-remedy-of-all-our-miseries/)

[Stephen Charnock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-charnock/)

> [ At this time there was a wise man who was called Jesus. And his conduct was good, and \[he\] was known to be virtuous.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephus/at-this-time-there-was-a-wise-man-who-was-called-jesus-and-his/)

[Josephus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephus/)

> [“In the foreign country, we call the past, crucifixion was a common punishment. It was invented by the Persians, carried back to Europe by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/in-the-foreign-country-we-call-the-past-crucifixion-was-a-common/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

[Browse all 203 Crucifixion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crucifixion/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“There must be, and, if we are honest, there always will be at least one situation in our lives that we cannot fix, control, explain, change, or even understand. For Jesus and for his followers, the crucifixion became the dramatic symbol of that necessary and absurd stumbling stone.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Richard Rohr"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/there-must-be-and-if-we-are-honest-there-always-will-be-at-least-one-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Crucifixion"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/there-must-be-and-if-we-are-honest-there-always-will-be-at-least-one-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f12/richard-rohr-618_crucifixion_there-must-be-and-if-we-are-honest-there_2731044.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f12/richard-rohr-618_crucifixion_there-must-be-and-if-we-are-honest-there_2731044.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f12/richard-rohr-618_crucifixion_there-must-be-and-if-we-are-honest-there_2731044.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There must be, and, if we are honest, there always will be at least one situation in our lives that we…” — Richard Rohr",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Richard Rohr",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“There must be, and, if we...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/there-must-be-and-if-we-are-honest-there-always-will-be-at-least-one-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/there-must-be-and-if-we-are-honest-there-always-will-be-at-least-one-2/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
