I’m a math nerd. I admit it. I like the way numbers are consistent and tell the same story every time. Two plus Two will ALWAYS equal Four. I liked Algebra formulas. When it came to Geometry, not so much. While some people loved the graphing and seeing the little boxes appear, I often couldn’t see them. I knew they were there, but you never knew where they would be or what shape and I struggled to find them. But, give me a proof to write and I was in heaven! I fell in love with the logical order of proofs. Because that’s what they were: LOGIC. It was just writing down how I solved a problem, step by step.

Unfortunately, there are few things in life that are as consistent or logical as a geometry proof. I know there have been many times when I took all the right steps, but the result didn’t add up. Two plus two seemed to equal Five in my life. Yet, I still plan. I still over-think. I still set my expectations. And, usually that’s the problem: MY expectations.  I recently read this passage from “Bittersweet” by Shauna Niequist:  “I believe that faith is less like following a GPS through a precise grid of city blocks, and more like being out at sea: a tricky journey, nonlinear and winding.”  I don’t know about you, but I truly prefer the GPS option. 

 Psalm 27:14  says “Wait for the Lord; Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”  Jeremiah 29:11 states “I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”   Proverb 3:5-6  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”  Great verses.  So, why do I feel so undirected at times?  Why do I need a proof?  Is my faith too small?  Does it really matter?  Maybe, I’m just not ready to give up control.

The reality is that “stuff” happens all the time.  Not everything will go the way that I want it to go.  Even if I do everything to set it up the way I want it, things happen that are out of my control.  I have to be able to roll with the seemingly unfair circumstances that sometimes are a part of my life.  I don’t have a map to tell me what’s in my future.  But, I do believe that God is firmly in control. 

Two plus two will always equal four.  But for me, it may look more like this: 
2+2= (SQRT(9)+(0.5*2))*(2013-1959)-212