Confusing Stories

    Lyssa finished reading and looked up at me. "What can you tell me about the story?" I asked, checking to see how much of what she had read she actually was able to understand.
    Lyssa fumbled for words. Then, giving up, she shrugged. "I don't know," she paused, her big eyes looking into mine. "It was kinda written in a confusing way."
    I wasn't surprised. Lyssa struggled with reading, and had I not been following along I wouldn't have understood the story either. I had to give her credit though. She had read with dogged determination, doing her best  with the letters and sounds she didn't know how to process correctly.
    There are days I am very much like Lyssa. I find myself sitting in a place that doesn't make much sense. It feels at those moments as if God has asked me to read a story that is confusing. Maybe the words seem too big for me to sound out or the subject matter is too broad for my understanding. But, like Lyssa, my job is to do the best I know and trust there is a reason for the story. 
    It is not my place to question God's choice. Neither do I need to complain about the parts I don't understand. My place is to live quietly in the position where He has placed me, trusting every letter, every tiny punctuation mark to His infinite wisdom. 
    David knew about feeling confused. and overwhelmed by circumstances. "Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death." We hear his heart crying out. He didn't understand all the reasons he must pass through this miserable place. But he doesn't stop there. "I will fear no evil: for thou art with me." 
    The world around us is in confusion. As Christians we may sometimes lack understanding, but we need not wallow in the shadows. We have the knowledge God is with us. We don't need to control every circumstance, understand every phrase, respond with perfect answers to every question, because we know He is the Master of all.
    Trusting is not something that comes easily. It is a decision made deep in the heart of the believer. In spite of the troubled relationships we face and the seemingly disastrous decisions made by world leaders. Regardless of the death of a loved one, an unexpected hospital bill, or the crushing of a cherished dream. Through it all, trust is still a choice.
    No matter the shadows you are walking through, no matter the disappointments you have faced, you need not drown in confused loneliness. Take His hand. Fear no evil. He is with you.