Have I Misunderstood You?

He (God) knows when something glorious in the future necessitates something difficult in the present. Because he knows the glory will be worth it. God will risk being misunderstood.
-Beth Moore, Stepping Up


If ever there was a week that I needed to read those words it would be this one.

This has been one of the roughest weeks I have experienced in a long while. Yesterday, as I walked throughout the house, I felt a presence whispering lies to me about who I am and about my abilities as a mother and a wife. As I escaped to the backyard for some quiet time, I found myself shaking with tears. Where had all this come from?

The past few months have been a lesson in trusting the Lord when I don't hear Him speaking. The things that clog my mind go deeper than I have realized. Obviously, His Word cannot spell out every specific detail of our lives. The Bible would be enormous if it did, something that couldn't fit in my home, for sure! Following Him on a deeper level requires that I spend time in His Word refreshing myself. Trusting Him that He's given me a sound mind, the mind of Christ, and I am able to make right choices.

So, have I misunderstood Him?

In another book, a main character travels throughout a journey and finds that she must decide if she can follow the Shepherd even if it looks like He has asked her to sacrifice something He had given her, her own life. Did she understand Him correctly? She found that she had and it didn't make any sense to her at the time. Afterwards, she knew that He had led her through this journey to strengthen her, to mold her character, to increase her faith.

In Romans 8:28-39, God shares some big things He will do for us. He makes sure that all things work together for our good. He calls us according to His purpose. He is for us, not against us! Jesus says that He intercedes for us at God's right hand. He will make us conquerors through Jesus. He goes to great lengths to make sure that nothing separates us from His love. What incredible things to say! Why would Someone make those great boasts if He wasn't going to follow through on them? Can He be trusted?

That's what I am trying to figure out. The mystery of God is one of the things that draws me to Him. I don't have Him figured out. I don't want to figure Him out. What good would my life be if I knew everything about the Lord?

So despite the struggles of this week, I know that I can lay them at His feet, struggle after struggle, many times throughout the day. He picks them up and does with them as He wills. It isn't my burden to keep carrying. Although for so long, I have thought that it was. My God is my Burden-Carrier. He defends my cause, because I am weak.


1 Corinthians 1:25 says:
For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.