It's Complicated

You know, this whole life thing is really. complicated. You have struggles getting born, struggles growing up, struggles in relationships, struggles in work, struggles with money, struggles with health, struggles with age, and even struggles in death.

Some days it just seems so pointless! This, I believe is why alcohol is such a big business. While it does dim the pain of it, it just doesn't make it go away...at all.

These very kind of struggles and my failure to successfully ignore them are what God used to get my attention.

After He introduced Himself, the struggles didn't go away, but now I wasn't feeling alone in them anymore.

Yes, I have had many problems that God miraculously fixed, but also many more that He added Himself. His plan has always been to grow my faith in Him. Struggles not only opened my eyes to my need for Him, but also solidified my constant dependence on Him.

Consider for a minute how complex all of this is. You have your thoughts. You have your feelings. You have your body. You have your history. You have a spirit too, if you have come to Jesus.

All of these things are just one combined mess, in a vast ocean of similar others throughout the world, compounded even by time since God created the world.

Ouch.

The thought is overwhelming, naturally so, because we are just men. Our perspective of this super complex system is extremely limited to a tiny space and only a few years compared to thousands.

Ignoring the complex questions is the standard go to for most people, but for the crazy ones, looking at the impossible to grasp, seems to be irresistible. I tend to fall into this category. It isn't something I do on purpose, because even when I try not to, in a short time I will relax my mental discipline and find myself again pondering something way to big for me.

Yeah, and alcohol doesn't stop it either.

Well, we are the way God made us.

As I look at these beyond-me issues, I can see God's hand and even hear His voice. Sure I question what He is doing, because some of it looks just plain crazy and pointless.

John 16:33 NIV

33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

I have written many times that as I have gotten older, I struggle with a great deal of disappointment. Not for things I didn't do, but rather for things God didn't do with me.

As new Christians, especially when we are young, we get told that God has some great plan for our lives and we must do all this stuff to find it. This usually involves butt kissing the leader God seems to have put over us...

God does have great plans for us, but I can tell you confidently that you are not likely to know what that is at all...until you actually get there. Even then, you may be doing that perfect plan without ever knowing it!

Look at the apostle Paul. He worked like a crazy man preaching and starting churches all over the known world. Yet in his later letters he seems to have a note of discouragement in how these churches are doing. He knew he did what God wanted ("I have finished the race... "), but these efforts were finalized with church people hating him and turning to foolish doctrines.

What he didn't know, and doubtfully considered, was that with those letters God would round out most of the New Testament!

If you consider that, the churches he planted were a miniscule drop in the bucket compared to all the lives that he touched with what he wrote...mine included.

Look, this life is extremely complicated and without a special gifting from God, we are not going to understand much of it at all. It does therefore require us to trust God with ALL of it. Yes, past, present, and future all-of-it.

It's OK to be disappointed. It's OK to be frustrated. It's even OK to be hurt and mad at Him for what He is doing and has done with you!

Just, please don't give up. He does have a great plan for us. We may not see it and we may not until we see Him face to face, but He does have a plan.

Trust in Jesus. He really is real and He really is in control...regardless of what anybody says otherwise.