Proverbs 20:24 – “Since the Lord is directing our steps, don’t try to figure out everything that happens along the way.”
Recently, my husband and I were trying to help our eldest son with his Mathematics homework. It was extremely challenging and some questions really gave our brains a good work out. My hubby couldn’t sleep until he solved the last question because it really bugged him. 🙂
The funny thing was some of our neighbours figured the sums out and had already shared the solution, but my husband and a few friends were determined to figure out how they derived at the solution. Each neighbour had a different method of getting to the answer too. 🙂 Not all of the methods made sense to my son, my hubby or me, but the answers were right.
I kinda took the relaxed route- I knew the teacher would have to show my kid the solutions and the workings for these questions even if he couldn’t get them right. The homework won’t be perfectly complete upon handing up, but it is what it is- a piece of work to see how much the child comprehends so that the teacher knows which area he is weak & is able to follow up and strengthen his knowledge in it. So I let it be. I slept well and I enjoyed my meals without whipping up a piece of paper to jot out new workings hehe.
I guess in a way life is like school. We have homework to do, projects to complete, tests and exams to see if we have understood our lessons and be promoted to the next level of understanding. It’s teacher? The Holy Spirit.
We don’t have to try to use our book smarts to figure life out. Sometimes all that’s needed is for us to lean on the Holy Spirit & allow Him to guide us. Jesus is the answer. So it doesn’t matter that you can’t figure out how to derive at the answer. You just have to know that it is. There are many different paths to take in life and whilst we may not always understand the choices others make, and vice versa, we just have to know that the LORD takes everything we do, even the mistakes, and turns them into blessings. This is because He has already FINISHED the work and it is PERFECTLY COMPLETE.
So maybe your workings are a little messy as you try to figure life out, but when you hand it up to Abba Daddy, all He sees is the perfect answer to every problem- Jesus. And you can be sure that no matter how long you took to solve your equations or what method you tried to get to the final answer, He has already prepared a stamp for you that says, “Well-done & well-pleased”.