It doesn't make sense...

 I don’t understand bridges. I don’t understand how they are built, how they hold so much weight, why they are designed the way they are, and why they are so trustworthy. How can metal suspended high above water be sturdy and safe? And yet I stand in awe of bridges. And obviously they make sense to someone. The engineers that make bridges understand the designs. The intricacy of bridges and the sheer physics that goes into designing them makes sense to that engineer. Show him the blueprint of the bridge and he understands. Me? I just don’t get it, but every time I go over a bridge I am trusting that someone out there understood that bridge well enough to design it for me to go over.

The same is true in life. Some things make absolute sense to some (like the engineer) and absolutely make no sense to others (like me). And it is those times of frustration and a lack of understanding that bring us head to head with our circumstances, or in some instances, with God. There are so many things that happen in life that just “don’t make sense.”  Why would a young child die? Why are families ripped apart? Why did that relationship not work? Why did I not get into the college I wanted to? Why did I lose my job? There seems to be no logical explanation of why such a thing could happen to such a person like ourselves.  Life doesn’t make sense.

Or there are times when life seems like it should absolutely work out. After all, we put all the pieces together, didn’t we? For example, there is something I really want right now. If you were to write out all of the reasons why it should work out on a piece of paper, it would be clear to everyone involved that it was the best decision. And for many, they do feel it is best. Yet, for some (extremely unexplainable and frustrating) reason, it is not working. Everything seems to make sense to me in this situation. The only thing that doesn’t make sense is the fact that something that does make sense isn’t making sense. Are you following me?

So in life there are times where things don’t make sense. Either we feel like something shouldn’t happen and it does, or we feel like something should happen and it doesn’t. Have you ever felt that way? Doesn’t it drive you crazy?

And yet, we are supposed to fully rely on God. Do we ever consider that God is like that engineer of the bridge and that maybe, just maybe, what is going on makes sense to Him? Proverbs 3:5 says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”  I’m starting to see that my understanding of God’s will is more lacking than my understanding of that bridge. And yet, the other day I was hit with this realization: GOD DOESN’T MAKE SENSE.

Follow my logic. Adam and Eve sinned. God gave them everything they needed and, yet, they chose to disobey Him- casting the world into a mess of sin and separation from God. In that moment, God could have destroyed them, but He didn’t.  And for thousands of years, God did a lot of things that “didn’t make sense.” However, the thing that doesn’t make the most sense is that ONE THING we quickly cling to: God, in all of His power, gave up His throne (we don’t even want to give up 5 minutes to pray), and came to earth in the form of Jesus. He lived a life of rejection and mockery to then be beaten and tortured. He had nails driven into His hands and feet for doing absolutely nothing wrong. He was placed on a cross in total humiliation. And, why? Because of us- the same people who caused this whole mess to begin with. The same people who constantly hurt Him every day by choosing to make decisions that are selfish, sinful. He was then buried and rose three days later (which absolutely doesn’t make sense logically) so that we can have a relationship with Him?! So that many people will reject Him, but yet some will love Him (and the same ones who love Him still fail Him)? That kind of love doesn’t make sense. And yet it is so amazing and life changing.

Sidewalk Prophet's "Lay Down My Life"

So why can I not trust that the same God who was displayed “I-love-you-so-much-that-I-sent-my-son-even-when-it-didn’t-make-sense” kind of love has my “I-don’t-understand-what-is-going-on-right-now” life under control. Isaiah 55:8-9, says “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your way sand my thoughts than your thoughts.” God doesn’t need to make sense to me, nor should He. His thoughts are way better than my own. Who am I to think that I can accept God’s love when it doesn’t make sense (salvation), but reject it when I feel like it’s inconvenient for me (when a situation isn’t going my way)? Who am I to demand an explanation from the same God who loves me unconditionally, who holds each star in place, and who is so omniscient that EVERYTHING makes sense to Him?

Right now I am resting in the peace of knowing that whatever doesn’t make sense to me, makes sense to God. That the God who understands everything is the same God who wants what’s best for me. That God is the engineer and I am supposed to cross this bridge of life, trusting that He is the perfect designer of my bridge. If I embrace His love and trust Him completely, nothing else needs to make sense. If your life doesn't make sense, it's ok. Trust that the same unexplainable love displayed on the cross has it all under control.