When Life Doesn't Make Sense

Job 6:11 (NLT) But I don't have the strength to endure. I have nothing to live for. (spoken by Job while longing for death to end his misery)

Ever come to a point in your life where you wonder where the punch line is at? The events are part-laughable and part-misery.  Suddenly, there are moments where you cry out wondering if your life story is starting to run parallel to Job? You ask yourself, "Why is all of this suffering necessary? I would just LOVE for things to calm down. Where is my break? This doesn't make sense. How can things turn out so wrong?"

The very things we dream for our life become the uncertain plan. We think our dreams are unquestionably, honest to God going to be the path we will take only to find out it wasn't meant to be. It becomes this mental, wrap-around explosion of confusion. It doesn't make sense and it starts to become a disappointment. For some, health issues change things. For others, relationship issues can do it. Whatever the case may be, it's disappointing, difficult, and deeply distressing at times.

Sometimes dreams become a distant cloud floating away across the sky. Other times, dreams shatter like a piece of glass and cannot be put back together. Dreams of great adventure turn to everyday, monotonous activities. Dreams of exciting ideas don't even get the chance to happen because of change. Dreams of hope feel out of reach and leave you almost breathless. Dreams of pure happiness are broken by some relationship's bad aroma. And dreams of peace are disrupted by annoying anger. 

It happens. It happens to you and me. Our dreams can change in an instant. Or they could be stretched out over time with long periods of uninterrupted U-turns. But we must be prepared for when it comes. 

Job 23:13-14 NIV "But he stands alone, and who can oppose him? He does whatever he pleases. He carries out his decree against me, and many such plans he still has in store." 

Job 42:2 "I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted."

God has his reasons beyond our understanding for things to happen in our life. He is Sovereign over all of His creation. When we give our life to Christ, we give Him full reigns over us. We say, "Ok, God! I trust you and you alone. Take my hand and lead me where you want me to go." And He wants to do that very thing.

We have to set our dreams aside and turn to what God has planned. In retrospect, Ruth never imagined her first husband would die. If he hadn't, she wouldn't have met Boaz and under that line came Jesus. Jonah's plan to run from God was interrupted when he was cast overboard to be swallowed by a fish. If he didn't take that boat ride, he wouldn't have made it to Nineveh to turn hearts back to God. John Newton, a wealthy slave trader, turned to God after a scare across the waters in which he wrote one of the greatest hymns of all times, Amazing Grace. It wasn't until many years after that time that he actually began to publicly speak up on the horrific environment of slavery. 

The thing to remember is that God uses our sufferings, stories, and change to do something. We may never know the true reason for His plans while on Earth. It doesn't mean it's going to be easy. We aren't always going to accept these plans with grace. Likewise, Jonah didn't want to accept God's plans. He would rather run away on a ship. I imagine Ruth wasn't always sure about the idea of traveling with her mother-in-law to a new land. Remember how bitter Naomi was about everything that had happened. Traveling with a bitter person couldn't have been easy. And even John Newton had to be hesitant on sharing what he really knew about slave trade as he didn't publish his forthright pamphlet on it until years later after coming to Christ. 

But they each had a purpose. The same goes for you and your life. Your dreams may change but the dreams planned for you are greater. God wants the best for you.

One of my favorite songs by the Cranberries has similar lines. When I hum the song in my head, I almost relate it more to my relationship with Christ. Life changes every day and so do my dreams. However, as much as we want our dreams to exist, when we give full reigns to what God has planned for us, we are better for it. 

Listen to the lyrics and try to apply them differently as in reference to God. Feel free to play the video here. This newer version is sung by a different artist: