I do not believe that everything happens for a reason. I have witnessed – and perhaps you have, as well – too many awful events to believe that God is directing those circumstances.  I have seen people’s lives disrupted, plans ruined, hopes crushed, and futures dismantled by accidents, illness, and sometimes just plain evil. It would be a cruel God who would cause a horrific accident or a child’s illness or a devastating historical event in order to teach us a lesson. And I don’t believe in a cruel God. 

So that means that some things – often, many things – are beyond my understanding.  I do not have a satisfying answer to the question, “Why?”  Why do plans fall apart? Why do dreams get destroyed?  Why do the innocent so often suffer?

I do believe in a loving God who promises to show up.  I believe in the God of presence.  I believe God when God vows, “I will always be with you until the end of the age.” 

Lately I have been reflecting on some Bible passages about trust:

• Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.   (Proverbs 3:5)
• When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.  Psalm 56
• Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.   Isaiah 26:4

Sometimes – often – things do not go as planned.  The future may appear murky. I am invited to place my trust in God – not because God is dictating every aspect of my life but because God has promised never to leave me or abandon me.

That means when I am facing daunting challenges, I trust that I won’t do it alone.  God has promised to be there when I need God most.

Life is not neat and tidy.  Personally, I cannot discover a reason for many events in my own life or in the world around me.  But I trust that God is on this journey with me. God offers strength and comfort. God invites me into renewing times of rest. God assures me that I can ask for help – from God and from the people God has placed in my life.

I trust that God is bigger than the overwhelming events in the world.

I trust that God’s strength will provide me the ability to go forward.

I trust that God’s wisdom can lead me through a maze of difficulties.

I trust that when I have reached my limit, I can turn everything over to God.  I don’t have to have all the answers.

I trust that when I fail, God will help me begin again.

I trust that God will always love me. 

And that will be enough, one day at a time.

PS: I commend Kate Bowler’s book Everything Happens for a Reason (and other lies I’ve loved) as well as her website www.katebowler.com