It Doesn’t Make Sense
It Doesn’t Make Sense
Written By Alan Clinton
It Doesn’t Make Sense! The more my relationship with the Lord develops, the more prevalent this declaration becomes. Someone loved me in the middle of my mess…It doesn’t make sense! Someone willingly died for me…It doesn’t make sense! If I want to be first, then I must be last… It doesn’t make sense! To live, I must die… It Does Not Make Sense!! At what stage in my Christian journey does this principle fall by the wayside? How do I order the whole life puzzle instead of one piece at a time? I thought becoming a follower of Jesus led to more answers, NOT more questions. “Who do men say that I am?” (Mark 8:27, Luke 9:18, Matthew 16:13). No one explained to me that this narrow path is full of pop quizzes, multiple-choice tests, and continual heart examinations! The further I try to advance towards my future, the more I receive polite invitations from the Lord to take field trips with Him through my past. I hide my wounds; He seeks them out. He pleasantly asks me to surrender all defensive mechanisms that I created in my broken brilliance. Yahweh declares to me that “He is my protector; He is my strong fortress. He is my protection, and with Him I am safe.” (Psalm 18:2). It doesn’t make sense! With cost of living, bills, expenses, and taxes constantly on the rise, The Lord proclaims, “It’s more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35) Now-a-days, it even costs to struggle. Providing for one’s own family can become a harsh joke with no punchline…and the Lord responds “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it is in your power to help them. If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say come back tomorrow and I’ll help you.” (Proverbs 3:27-28) It just doesn’t make sense! When I was born, instead of yelling “It’s a boy!”, perhaps the Dr. should have announced, “Life with Jesus doesn’t make sense!” Maybe then I would have had a head start on an understanding that continually evades my understanding. Why does everything in the Kingdom feel upside down? Why am I supposed to love my enemies? Why must I do good to those who hate me? Why must I pray for those who mistreat me? (Luke 6:27-28) It doesn’t make sense! As I try to navigate these choppy waters disguised as life, I’m required to do it with a good spirit and no complaining (Philippians 2:14); Moreover, when chaos strikes, I’m instructed to celebrate and consider it pure joy (James1:2) IT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE!! But was it ever supposed to make sense? In all honesty, I feel the safest when I understand or am in control. I like to sometimes pretend that the world revolves around my personal preferences, only to have this illusion shattered into many pieces that I constantly try to reassemble. The Lord is strategically deconstructing my safety net, so that He may replace it with Himself. It’s frightening to freefall, but the Lord’s passionate consistency allows (and requires) that I be led to the end of me. The ending that prompts His beginning… The surrender that releases His victory.
“I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
“For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do Not Fear, I will help you.” Isaiah 41:13