Believe It Or Not

“Why?” asked the 3 year old … about 100 times a day. Sometimes we look at all those questions as teachable moments and love expanding their knowledge by explaining why they need rest or vegetables or why they need to be kind or why they need to go potty before a 3 hour ride in the car. Other times, we really don’t have the time or the patience to explain why and we just need them to accept the fact that we are the grown up calling the shots and their job is to listen and obey.

There is just something about the 3 year old mind that wants reasons. That is something that we never outgrow. Even as adults, we seem to function better if we understand why we are doing what we are doing. Some things are easy to grasp. We go to work to earn a paycheck to feed and clothe our families. We drive according to the speed limit to stay safer…. Or avoid a fine. We exercise to keep our bodies fit. We drink coffee so that we don’t hurt people.

But, what do we do with the things that we can’t find a reason for? How do we learn to accept what we don’t understand when there are no explanations forthcoming? There are so many things in life that just don’t make sense and, even when we inquire of the Master of the Universe, we don’t get answers. We sit in silence wondering why other people’s lives look so much better. Why their kids are healthier or why they seem to never have a financial set-back or why they seem to avoid marital struggles, or depression, or anxiety.

Often, while sitting in the silence, waiting for God to give us the Rx or remedy for our life we fall into the trap of despair that turns to doubt, leading us to the conclusion that God just simply doesn’t care about our relationships or our finances or the health of our loved one. That place of despair can lead us in two separate directions. The first is what I like to call Satan’s Amusement Park. He happily ushers us into that place where our emotions are up and down and our stomach slides miserably into our throat and the breath rapidly leaves our lungs causing fear and anxiety and hopelessness to take control of our lives. As the roller coaster of life whips us around, we realize we have no control of where we are going and the music from the carousel blasts the refrain proclaiming that God is dead, at least to us, and cannot do anything to help us out of this terrifying place.

There is, however, another avenue to take and avoid the terror. It doesn’t eliminate the pain or the questions or even the fear we feel in the painful places our journey may take us, but it is a shelter in the storm. Rather than allow the lies of Satan to convince you that you are forgotten by the One who made you for a purpose, you can simply sit in God’s waiting room, knowing that you are not alone. Knowing that you are not forgotten. Knowing that you are still His child. Knowing that He has a way out. Even when it is our own decisions that land us in a bad place, He will use it for our good when we entrust our lives to him.

Just like that 3 year old that doesn’t always get the answer to their “why?” you can learn to accept the fact that you are loved and you don’t always have to understand in order to accept the truth that God loves you and will never leave you or forsake you. The fact to remember is that God is good and loving and faithful. All of your circumstances should be interpreted through that reality. Too often, however, we do the opposite. We allow our circumstances to dictate our view of who God is. When things go wrong and God seems silent, we assume He doesn’t love us or care for us. We determine that He is not a faithful, all knowing God. That kind of thinking will land us right where Satan wants us and we will find misery.

Wherever you find yourself, know that the One who made you did so with great purpose. You are not an accident or a failure. You are on a journey and He is with you, whether you feel Him or not. He knows you and He will use all that you experience to help you fulfil the purpose He has for you.

You don’t have to believe anything you have just read. You don’t have to believe that He is for you. You don’t have to believe that He loves you. You don’t have to believe that He exists. You don’t have to believe that He made you for a purpose. You don’t have to believe the Bible is His story. But, if you don’t believe, where will you find the hope that you need to rise above all that is weighing you down? Considering the options, I choose to believe even when I don’t understand. I choose to believe even when He seems to be silent. I choose to believe because I have found Him to be the source of my peace. I choose to believe because there is a joy that sustains me even when I feel unhappy. I choose to believe because He is real to me and is shaping me into someone better than I was before.

I pray that you, too, will choose to believe and find renewed hope, restored joy and deep peace.