…perplexed, but not in despair… (2 Corinthians 4:8)
We are human. We are dysfunctional. We are prone to disease, temptation, addictions, anxiety and every form of depression. We get tired.
We lose our keys. We forget where we parked our car. We are tied to the technology that both simplifies and complicates our lives. We eat too much. We eat too little. We are caught in the culture that holds us. We are slaves to a job. We wish we had a job.
We know a lot. We have incredible resources at our fingertips. We don’t know everything. We know just enough to get ourselves into trouble. We are continually distracted. We are gullible. When we think we have the answer, we are convinced of it until a better one comes along.
We have bad habits to overcome. We are full of rationalizations. We are confused. We are constantly trying to get our arms around what seems to be flying apart.
We have issues. Things we should have overcome long ago stay like thorns in our sides. Life seems to be getting away from us.
And though all these things ring true for all of us in some way, we don’t want to admit it because we all live behind a carefully manicured facade of coping, especially in religious, Christian or evangelical circles.
We would all be better off admitting that we are perplexed… but not in despair.
Following Christ does little to erase the perplexities and futilities of human existence (see the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible), but it does keep us from throwing in the towel, because we know that God is always working out His will in our lives even when we can’t see it. And it confirms the unexplainable truth that God is willing and desiring to have a relationship with us in the midst of our perplexing human existence. He must really want this.
John Fischer The Catch 
Today’s Catch has a few Amens coming from me, yet also a praise report too, I need to share: A few Catch members know I’m marketing a product to professional & college athletes and sometime, no too many times, i get all perplexed, worried and concern think Lord is this even working? i believe w/ all of my heart He helped (along a few GREAT & very helpful Catch friends) w/ the design and idea, plus He help me come-up w/ this idea of humbling myself enough to ask 4 help in getting off of disability income. Anyway, i found out, the other day i have well over 425 views of the YouTube video and this really, really neat thing happened the other day. HBO airs a special called “Hard Knocks” about Football Traing Camps and this year they’re following the Miami Dolhins, so I thought for a few kicks & giggles, I’ll go a-head and market to them. And SURE enough, I am pretty sure (even though the 1st time I watched it. I didn’t see this, maybe becauz it was @ the begining of the program) it shows a big football player walking up to his locker and he sees this small white envelope, which is what i use and he graps it and opens it and nods his head up and down and smiles, like he likes what he is reading. At first i was stunned! Then I about fell on the floor laughing, because I’ve been asking God for some type of confrimation or sign or whatever jus to let me know this idea is working and i think i may have had an answer to my prayers – even when i watch it again and hopefully get a better view of what this player is opening in this scene – I do know for a fact the post cards are working simply because i have confrimation of over 425 YouTube video views – now if the Lord hopefully helps led the athletes to purchase this product off of me, that will be very, very cool! Plz whisper a few prayers that happens, Ok… 🙂
How I needed this today. When seeing the way people treat one another to keep us in fear it grieves my heart to the point of just wanting to go home.
I received a little hope today, thanks
I might be a bigger mess than you – I must admit that I have frequently felt total, complete, utter despair.
You’re still here. Thank God for that. I know there are many here who appreciate you. Keep on!