I Don't Get It

 

Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing but later you will understand." 

- John 13:7 

    When I was in high school I had this verse on the back of my phone case. I carried it everywhere with me and read it routinely. I used it for encouragement during the time of my life where I was trying to figure out how to become the person that God has called me to be. I am not going to sit here and tell you that life always makes sense because we are all well aware that is far from the truth. Over the past year, our world has experienced a long period of time where very little of our lives have made much sense. Our lives have been halted and our expectations have been bulldozed. We have had to learn what to do when our plans are no longer possible and when we don't know what our future will look like. We have had to learn, now more than ever, how to live in the moment. Which if I am honest I don't think I have really learned yet, and I am definitely not good at it. We have had to adapt and we have had to trust that these circumstances will one day come to an end. 

    In this life, we will never truly know or have control over what happens today or what will happen tomorrow. Any sense of control we have is purely an illusion and we learn the reality of this truth daily. We can plan to our heart's content but we will never have control over the way that those plans might unfold. In Proverbs 16:9 it says that "In their hearts, humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps." The one thing that we have, specifically those of us who have a relationship with Jesus Christ, is the certainty that God has a plan. We as humans may never fully grasp or understand the reasoning behind why things happen the way that they do but we can rest in the fact that God has the full picture when we only see the right-hand corner. God sees all the pieces put together. We are usually just too close to see how things will turn out when we are walking or often fighting through them at any given moment. 

    In John 13:7 Jesus is talking to his followers. One of his followers, Peter, was perplexed as to why Jesus, who is the Son of God and the Savior of the world, was washing the feet of his disciples. He did not understand Jesus's actions. He did not understand why he wanted to serve them when they should be on their knees serving him. Jesus knew that Peter was confused telling him that he would understand later. John 13:12-15 says "When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" He asked them. "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for this is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you." While he goes on to further explain his actions I think it is important for us to understand there are times in our lives where our circumstances will not make sense to us. We will have times when we feel just as confused as Peter. We will not understand why things are happening the way that they are. We will feel all kinds of human emotions like frustration and confusion. In these moments it is so important to remember that we aren't seeing the whole picture. 

    We, like Peter, will often not understand our circumstances until after we are no longer in them. In time God provides his explanation. You didn't get that job that you wanted because you were about to find something better. Your summer vacation was canceled because you needed to be home with your family. Your relationship didn't work out the way that you planned because God had someone better set aside for you. There are many more examples of ways in which you can find later clarity from the Lord in situations that caused you great confusion when you were right in the middle of them. As God's plan for your life continues to unfold the pieces will continue to fall into place and you will be able to understand why things had to happen the way that they did. 

    We are living in very uncertain and unprecedented times for many reasons. I hope that you don't let those reasons and confusion stop you from fulling living your life. Find peace in the knowledge that God, the creator of the world, and the author of our lives, knows far more about your circumstances then you will ever be able to understand.  I encourage you to walk by faith in the plan that God has for you in every moment and trust that if you don't get it now someday you will.