A Little Wonky

When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them.

“. . . And I responded, we’re all a little wonky. Your painting beautifully reflects the wonkiness in all of our lives.”

My friend was recounting a conversation she’d had at the community art night she’d helped host, and my attention snagged on her “We’re all a little wonky” phrase. One woman’s painting was—in her own words—“wonky.” She thought it was not quite as perfect as canvases other women were creating and therefore, in her eyes, it was less lovely.

I don’t know about you, but I often feel slightly out of sync as I navigate the various roles I play and the relationships in my life. Just as one role and set of relationships moves toward firmer, solid terrain, another area or set of relationships starts to feel slippery and uncertain. Something in my life is usually a bit wonky, no matter how hard I try to keep everything and everyone steady and stable.

It’s easy to forget that most of us have at least a little wonkiness in our lives at any given time when we’re accustomed to seeing pageantry and pretense on social media and in our cursory interactions with those around us. To be a little out of whack is part of the human condition, I’m starting to realize—there is always something or someone I’m entrusting to God because it’s beyond my ability to control.

The wonky parts of our lives often draw us nearest to God as we recognize how desperately we need him. I must acknowledge the blessings I’ve found in the harder parts of my story: the closeness I’ve found with God, as well as his provision when my efforts have fallen short. It’s often in the wonky that my faith is refined, growing broader and deeper as I surrender, allowing God to accomplish his will in his way and timing.

It’s not particularly fun to be grateful for the hard things; we fear that our acknowledgment will somehow invite additional heartache, but that’s not how it works. Recounting and being grateful for God’s ongoing goodness and provision—no matter the circumstances—serves to sustain and strengthen our faith, creating a resiliency that sees us over the next bump in the road.

Julie

Today’s Act of Gratitude

With gratitude, surrender your current wonkiness to God, asking for his will to be accomplished.