Twists and turns in life are part of God's secret plan
"The secret things belong to God."
- Deuteronomy 29:29 (NIV)
When I was a young girl, there were times I'd ask my mother, why. Many times my mother would respond, "Because, that's the way it is."
Now, when it comes to relating to God, there's still times I ask why.
You may also have inquired of God, "Why me? Why have things turned out this way, instead of the way I planned?"
Although I enjoy sharing many positive perspectives, my wisdom has come from working through problems, and questions. During past seasons of my life, a few of the things I questioned were, "Why didn't my marriage work out when I tried so hard? Why was I a single, divorced mother working two jobs for 10 years when many of my friends had it easier? And when happiness came my way, why did I become housebound for eight years with an illness?
You may also have questioned God when perplexed by your life's circumstances. Men and women in the Bible were no different. Job wondered why all his children were killed in a tornado, and why he was stricken with a serious illness (Job chapter 1). The apostle Paul mentioned he was perplexed when going through a hardship (2 Corinthians 4). Even Jesus asked God to spare him from being crucified.
I believe questioning helps us to discover His plan for our lives. In doing so, He may show us we made a choice that caused the situation to happen, and we need to correct it. Or, it could be something happened because of someone else's bad choices and we need to confront it, avoid it, seek help or accept, forgive and move on.
He may want us to understand the spiritual life contains good and evil and, for that reason, sometimes bad things happen to good people. And the mystery is sometimes He is answering, only not in the way we think He should.
Amid all the questions, there are still many aspects about our lives we may never understand. One of my friends recently lost her daughter to a drug overdose. Another friend lost her father, mother and husband within a short span.
How do you explain that? According to the Bible, it's part of God's secret plan that we can't see or understand. And it doesn't mean we are less than another, or He doesn't love us. God's love is unconditional.
Over the years when I went through trials, I have been comforted believing God is not upset with our questions. Often by seeking God's will and ways, I've grown spiritually. And amid my questioning, I've seen God rework my life in amazing ways, making me who I am today. But there's still some aspects that remain a mystery.
Pondering God's wisdom, care and ultimate plan doesn't mean we don't pray or believe for change. But when the questions don't get answers and things don't go as we planned, we can discover a place of peace in not knowing, by placing our trust in the one who does.
• Annettee Budzban is a Christian author, speaker, life coach and nurse. Invite her to speak at your church group, business or be your personal life coach. She can be contacted at annetteebudzban@aol.com or (847) 543-8413.