Handling Confusion

God’s Best During Your Worst discussing how to deal with Handling Confusion. Here’s an excerpt:

Tragedies have the ability shake our faith if we’re not careful. It’s easy to lose our way when darkness creeps in … it’s easy to slip into a spiritual funk when confused. But the reality is this: being a Christian never guarantees a pain-free life.

We still suffer loss.

No matter how much or how hard you pray, diseases still hit. Storms still wipe out entire communities. People still get shot. Marriages still end. Friends still betray our trust. Life still hurts. At times, it’s all so confusing.

Clarification

Overcoming the funk that accompanies confusion starts with clarifying the situation. This needn’t take a long period of time. It can happen in an instant, or it may take years. But finding clarification is vital.

Using an example of a dying marriage, I would venture to say that problems didn’t begin because one in the couple had a wandering eye. At what point did that marriage stop being a priority to them? When did the attention and opinion of those outside the marriage become more important that one another’s? Asking hard questions in no way excuses the bad behavior, and now is not the time to assign blame. These are simply examples of questions you should ask when looking for clarification. For clarity within confusion.

We also must seek wisdom in our confusion. Proverbs tells us, For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding (Proverbs 2:6 NIV). This is a sin-laden world, not at all what God had originally intended for us. When situations go beyond our ability, it’s amazing what He can offer to us through prayers and seeking His wisdom.

Proverbs tells us, For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding
(Proverbs 2:6 NIV).

Seek Wise Counsel

Wise counsel is also vital. Counsel is what we are offered, what we receive from others. It can come through seeking advice from a friend or professional or sometimes it even comes without solicitation. Wise counsel is also found in books. There are myriad of books that offer wise counsel and suggestions on how to pull a marriage out of the weeds. Two of my favorites are Gary Thomas’ Sacred Marriage: What If God Designed Marriage to Make Us Holy More Than to Make Us Happy? (Zondervan, first edition 2000) and Gary Chapman’s The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate (Northfield Publishing, first edition 1992).

A great example of how tragedy can control everything around you can be found in the book Sober Mercies. It tells the story of Heather Harpham Kopp, an established editor in the Christian literary world—who was a closet drunk. Heather struggled to make sense of life as she tried to control her drinking. Viewing her “it’s just wine” drinking caused her problems when she realized she was hiding wine bottles in her boots in her closet and carrying the tiny bottles in her purse for a quick pick-me-up. It was only after she gave herself over to a Source greater than herself that she found clarity.

It can take outside intervention to break Confusion’s hold. Listen to God’s soft voice. He is speaking to you. Listen to your Knower. Don’t ignore Him. Share on X

Your Knower

Some people describe their Knower as a conscience. Some say it’s the Holy Spirit offering warnings to you. I’ll let you decide. All I can say is that when you hear a voice that tells you to be cautious, it doesn’t hurt to listen and be on your guard.

Your Plans Could Use Some Help

Ever think your plans are better than God’s? How many prayers have you offered that gave a three-point plan on how God was wrong? You see it in the Old Testament. When the oxen carrying the ark stumbled, Uzzah stopped it from falling by reaching out and steadying it. But because he touched the ark—something strictly forbidden by God—he died on the spot. Or Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu, when they wanted to glorify God. They chose and offered an ordinary fire—a fire not from the altar to God—in worship, and God’s fire turned and consumed them right there on the spot.

The New Testament’s apostles were forever coming up with better plans than what they thought Jesus had. Peter tried to protect Jesus when a guard came to arrest him. Jesus even labeled John and James as Sons of Thunder. We can see why in Luke 9, when the residents of a Samaritan village did not welcome them, and they asked Jesus, Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven and destroy them (v. 54 NIV).

There’s More

That’s just a taste. Read about other aspects of healing after a tragedy. What do you wonder about?  Are you happy … or are you doing what you never thought you’d do? Do you see consistencies … or are you all over the place? Drop me a line. I’d love to chat.

Struggling to find good in your life? Check out my award-winning book, God’s Best During Your Worst, or check out any of my other books on my Book page.