Trusting God in Spite of Confusion

[Anonymous]

Stephen Marsh wrote a post today on “Wheat & Tares” that is profound – and that has lots of implications for this forum. He has gone through some things in his life that are almost unimaginable (most particularly, the loss of multiple children in a relatively short time span), so this post is even more profound for those who know him than it is all by itself – and I think it is incredibly profound all by itself. I highly recommend everyone read it in its entirety.

The link to the post is: “Trusting God in Spite of Confusion” (http://www.wheatandtares.org/2011/07/07/trusting-god-in-spite-of-confusion/) – and I am excerpting a small part of it here, with the bolding being my own addition:

Quote:

As far as I can tell, we just lack the context (the life experience, knowledge, perspective and vocabulary) to really understand God many times. No matter how clearly it seems that God is communicating in hindsight, we lack the ability to fully understand. It is easy to see similar problems when we try to communicate with infants, children and teens. But it is hard for us to appreciate the things we can not understand because we lack the context. We cannot see our own lack of vision.

What I am really discussing is understanding our own blind spots. It is realizing that just as infants, children and teens (and other people) have blind spots, so do we. In facing the decision of whether or not to trust God in spite of the confusion our blind spots cause us when He speaks, we encounter life and are surrounded by paradox

I’ve written about examples from my own life. My blithe thoughts when the patriarch giving me a blessing broke down and cried for five minutes, then got himself together and told me that I would have experiences that would be blessings, but hard to appreciate when I received them. I’ve also written of other examples of times I thought I understood (or could at the time understand) more than I did.

It sounds simple; too bad it isn’t easy.

[Anonymous]

It is always easier for me to see things more clearly for others, than it is to see things for myself.

I think that can be because I have less information about others. They tell me some things, or I see their situation from the outside, and based on those few data points, I can have an opinion (and often do), and offer advice to help them.

In my own situations, I have so many other thoughts, experiences, doubts, fears, hopes, (and on and on) … that it complicates my view of my situation. I get analysis paralysis from too many data points inside my head. I think that creates blind spots.

I think there are times when I am in so much pain, that even if God is speaking to me, I can’t recognize the involvement He has in my life. After the trial, when the pain has subsided, I can more clearly look back on my experience and wonder why I was so confused, and honestly recognize I was not alone.

That is something I can work on. Be at more peace in the now…so that I am not blinded by pain in the moment, and be more alert in the present so I can trust God, in spite of confusion.

[Anonymous]

I agree. This is very tough to see at the time, but I really believe that pain is generally the beginning of growth. It’s like when a volcano erupts and the news will talk about the horrible devastation. Yet when you look in the years following the eruption, the lava enriches the soil so much – new life just flourishes in the aftermath. It’s impossible to see these patterns in our own lives because they are so personal to us; we are too close to be objective. The trials in my life have formed my character.

[Author]

Posts