Not Understanding Everything

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

Proverbs 3:5-6

WHEN HIS SISTER went to college, fourth grader Evan didn’t quite understand why she was going. Finally one day after his sister had been gone a few weeks, he told his parents, “I know why Alison went to college.”

“Why?” his dad asked.

“Because she wanted to get away from home, and that’s the only way she could get a car of her own. They give cars to people at college.”

For the price of tuition, maybe students should receive a car from the college, but that’s beside the point! At ten, the young boy’s logic wasn’t developed. Kids that age frequently make guesses and assumptions about how different aspects of life work, but their understanding is often flawed.

By the time we reach adulthood, most of us are pretty good at figuring things out. But in some areas our understanding may still be limited or flawed.

That’s the joy of the promise in the verses above. God doesn’t expect us to understand everything perfectly. In fact, he warns us not to depend on our own understanding but to depend on his perfect knowledge. We don’t just go our merry way, operating on what we assume or think to be true—we’re to look for God’s guidance. He wants to lead us.

Next time we start to set our own course, let’s pause and pray. Let’s follow God’s compass when we’re wondering which way to walk.