Confusion, Mystery and Trust

Spirituality Column #31
June 12, 2007
Current in Carmel (IN) newspaper

Confusion, Mystery and TrustBy Bob Walters

I grew up going to church until my mid-teens, and then spent several years – my spiritual confusion years – not going to church.

When I reconnected with God a few years ago, Christ suddenly became to me a very rich mystery and stopped being a point of spiritual confusion.

The difference was that I had learned that I was supposed to trust God.

Confusion defeats reason and trust, and picks at our rational being. Confusion is uncomfortable and something we avoid. I was confused so I avoided Christ.

Mystery, and its close sibling, wonder, however, can hold us rationally in their limitless arms with comfort and peace even in the absence of understanding. This is the gift Christ offers to us when we engage our faith and trust that He is Who He says He is.

None of this will make sense to a non-Christian, because – and I’ve been there – if Christ is so good and God is a loving God, how come this or that really terrible thing just happened to me, to my loved one, to my neighbor … to something I cherish. And why should I give my life to Christ when I can trust what I see, not what I can’t see.

Scripture says the opposite.

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18, NIV).

When we pray to God for understanding, wisdom and discernment – of divine or earthly things – what we can legitimately expect from God in return is inner peace, not information. Sometimes God spells it out; sometimes He doesn’t.

But when we trust God; I mean truly give ourselves completely over to trusting Him, only then can we enjoy the mystery and wonder of His hand.

No matter what happens.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) is better at writing about trusting God than actually trusting God. It’ll be OK, whether I believe it or not.