I know a lot of our teachable moments are funny or sarcastic, but we thought we’d do a serious teachable moment this time.
Now that we’re in our mid-thirties, it’s time to take stock of life. No, we’re not going through a mid-life crisis, but once in a while, you need to take a step back and assess how things are going. Are the children okay? How are the finances? How is the race? Have you been able to cross something off your wish list lately? There are probably more questions, but these were some that came to mind quickly. When we were in our twenties, it didn’t seem like we were really planning things, but more like reacting to them. Almost like lurching from one topic to another.
However, in recent years, things have seemed to calm down a bit. At least long enough for us to start planning things more. For me, part of the planning process involves looking back at our lives up to this point and trying to make sense of what has happened. One of my goals is to avoid learning painful lessons more than once. A period of pain is enough for me. I want to pass that test and get out!
God has certainly blessed us with grace over the years. He has always helped us, even when we feel like the blind leading the blind. We often look back and marvel at how he helped us through different struggles and trials. Most of the time, using 20/20 vision, we can figure out how. Although there is a time in our lives when I have no idea how we pay the bills, except for God of course. Mathematics does not calculate there.
Until recently, I used to think that eventually God would reveal why. If you are analytical like me, you like to figure everything out so that you can package it perfectly. However, I realized that sometimes you never learn why. There are just times when you will go through trials and you will never know why, no matter how much you think about it and how many counselors you talk to.
If you look in the Bible, in the life of Joseph, you will see that he experienced exactly this in his life. When he was young, he had two dreams that he correctly understood to mean that his older siblings and his father would bow down to him. He was moved and told his brothers, who in a fit of jealousy faked his death and sold him as a slave. He eventually found himself in Potiphar’s house as her chief servant, where Potiphar’s wife constantly harassed him to sleep with her. He always said no and one day in the rush to get out of it, he left his coat behind. He used this to falsely accuse Joseph of trying to rape her. Potiphar quickly threw Joseph into Pharaoh’s prison.
To cut to the chase, later, when Pharaoh had his two dreams and no one could explain them, his butler remembered how Joseph had correctly interpreted his dream while in prison. Pharaoh was so desperate that he called Joseph, who explained the meaning of the dreams. He would have seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. Joseph suggested that he put someone in charge of the food so that Egypt would not run out of food during the famine. Pharaoh liked this idea and decided who better than Joseph.
Once the famine struck, Joseph’s brothers traveled to Egypt to buy food so they wouldn’t go hungry. When Joseph saw them, I’m sure he suddenly realized why he went through being sold into slavery. Of course, he went to place him in Egypt, where he could save his family from him. The dreams of him that he had when he was young came true. He finally knew why.
Actually, he knew why. I am not a Bible scholar, but I see no reason why Potiphar’s wife falsely accused him of rape. Why did he have to go through this? No doubt he too must have wondered why. He could easily have interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams while he was still working for Potiphar. All that extra suffering just doesn’t make sense.
Looking back, we’ve figured out the purpose of some of our tests, but there will always be some we don’t understand. The Bible says that the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, so we trust that God knows why he is missing. Unfortunately, he doesn’t always share it with us. Just keep trusting Him, and remember that sometimes you never find out why. Relax, because He knows what he is doing.