It is amazing how life changes. I say that because I see how far I have come. I used to be very unsure of myself, spiteful, and always in a cloud of confusion. I developed defense mechanisms in order to overcome those insecurities. I became distant and sarcastic. By doing this, I only worsened the problem. It wasn’t until I realized that I needed God in my life that I really overcame these problems.

I have talked about two of my problems before. By loving without limits, we learn how to forgive others and stop being spiteful. When we acknowledge God’s perfect love for us, we see our own worth. We become confident. However, something that I feel most people have trouble overcoming is confusion. They can’t help but keep wondering why things happen in life. As a defense mechanism, the saying “God works in mysterious ways” came to flourish.

Unbeknownst to most Christians, this saying is not found anywhere in the Bible. In fact, this saying was written by a man named William Cowper, who wrote a hymn with that saying in it. He was a man who suffered from depression and, as I can imagine, had many questions as to why certain things would happen. His response was to write a hymn saying that although we may not know the answers to these questions, God still takes care of us and does things for our own good.

I am not here to say that he was entirely wrong. It is true that sometimes we don’t understand why things happen and that no matter what, God does things for our good. However, God is not mysterious. He doesn’t work in secret and He doesn’t hide His true nature from us. He doesn’t leave us in darkness. Instead, He guides us and shows us what we need to know when we ask.

“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” – James 1:5

This is one of the reasons it is important to have good communication with God. In times of confusion, He reveals to us the deeper meaning of why things happen. Take the example of my low self-esteem. I had the hardest time trying to get licensed in order to work at a job that had nothing to do with what I went to college for. However, on the first day on the job, God revealed to me the reason I was there. He showed me that it was through this job that I would learn how to be confident.

“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” – Jeremiah 33:3

I believe that the main thing that causes this confusion is impatience. We want an immediate answer and when we don’t get it, we become even more confused. Or there are other times when we don’t get the answer we were hoping for, which also confuses us. It is like how as kids we wanted to eat candy. We, of course, didn’t know the many health problems that too much candy could do to you. So, when our parents tell us we can’t have what we want, we get a bit upset and confused as to why we don’t get what we want. I mean, if they love us they would give us what we want, right? What we don’t realize is that our parents are trying to protect us because they love us. God works in the same way.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11

Our vision is limited. As I have mentioned before, we only see what is around us. We see what has happened to us and what is happening to us. However, we cannot see what is beyond that. Why? Because our minds are limited to what we know. God, in His infinite wisdom, leads us forward. He will show you why certain things happen in your life. It may not be the answer you are looking for, or even when you want an answer, but you will have an answer when you seek Him.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:9

This ties into what I have said before. We need to have a more intimate relationship with God. He not only guides us but provides us with wisdom to understand His plan for us. He is not mysterious in any way. When we truly seek Him and have faith in Him, He gives us the wisdom we need to find true understanding.

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” – Psalm 32:8