Right Thinking Wrong Thinking: Why

My mind reels and churns as my heart thumps wildly. My neck and shoulder muscles tighten and my brain hurts. Every where I look seems a black pit swallowing me whole.

Why? Why me, why now, what did I do? What must I learn? How can I get out? If I can only figure out why then maybe I can stop this from happening again. Maybe I can dig myself out of this dark pit. Maybe I can learn my lesson and be done with this dark pit.

Does this scene sound familiar to you? Do we throw ourselves down this pit every time a difficult situation arises? Do we really think that the path we never chose can be changed by us “figuring” a way out?

Do not get me wrong. We must and should ask why. Jesus asked why on the cross although He knew the answer. Psalms is full of David asking God why. It isn’t wrong to ask why.

Asking God why allows Him to gently correct, encourage, and guide us. When we come to Him with our pain, sorrow, and questions we are allowing the Great Physician to heal our deep wounds. Yet God does not often answer our whys {at least not this side of heaven}. Instead He asks us to trust Him – who is able, who has plans for us, who made us, who loves us.

WHY?

However it is wrong to think that the answer to our why will save us – bring us peace, happiness, or shed light on the way out. The answer to the why is not the goal of asking why. The goal of asking why is drawing closer to Him who knows all the whys, who is able, and who loves us enough to let the hard times come.

Will you join me in bringing our whys to God that we may draw closer to Him?

Today let’s ask God our why and then ask Him to use the why to draw us nearer to Him.

Will you share how a why has brought you closer to God?