Miserably Misunderstood

John 14:27 (KJV): “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

I used to think that I was the most misunderstood person in the world. I began to accept that some people will never understand me and that I should just give up trying to help others understand me. I am unsure where the misunderstanding comes from but in addition to my communication skills not being the strongest, I sometimes have become so frustrated that I have given up. I don’t mean being misunderstood in the sense of an argument or confusion. I simply mean being misunderstood, or not understood at all. There has been times when I have tried to explain something to someone and they just did not get it. I will admit that even in my frustration, I have been guilty of saying ,”Yes, that’s what I mean,” just so the individual would drop the topic. Agreeing to something that I didn’t mean at all. I began to get tired of the moments when I felt so frustrated and anxious about trying to explain something to someone and for them to understand what I was trying to say.  For a little while I decided not to talk about anything but that didn’t work for long because we NEED to share things. The key is just WHO we share them with. In my talking with the Lord about feeling misunderstood, He has shown me that not only am I not always understood by others, but I am not always understood by myself either.

Job 28: 12-13 (KJV): “¹²But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding? ¹³Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living.”

Understanding is spiritual. Wisdom is spiritual. We are spiritual.

Hebrews 11:3 (KJV): “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”

All of this makes sense as only God truly understands ALL things. No matter how long we have known someone or how close we are to them–no one will understand us, what we go through, how we feel, or what we experience the way He can and does. Could you imagine if that weren’t the case? So much idolatry would be presented in our lives if our spouses, family, and friends had the mind of God and therefore could understand all things. This brings me comfort, when God reminds me the special things He saves unto Himself. If everyone or anyone on earth understood everything, we would naturally never go to God.

As I walked home yesterday I began talking with God, thanking Him for understanding me. When I try to express something spiritual that I am experiencing and no one understands, He does. When I am struggling with school and no one understands why, He does. When I feel a certain way but can’t understand it enough to put it in words, He does. When I am upset and can’t figure out why, He knows. When I am so joyful and want to scream the Gospel from mountain tops, He understands. When I am nervous and afraid and people think it is foolish, He knows how to make sense of it. When I am unsure and just can’t understand something, He understands it for me. When I am rebellious and disobedient and no one knows the root of it, He knows the root and prepares to pull it out. When I do the things that I don’t want to do and others or myself don’t understand why, He does. I can rest assured knowing that even when I don’t understand, He does. When I am misunderstood on earth, I don’t have to panic. He never leaves us misunderstood in Him.

Last summer I was a teacher’s assistant and I had a student who is extremely bright but who had a difficult time expressing himself and his thoughts. One day he wanted to tell me a joke but he just couldn’t get it out. As I watched this 6-year-old young boy bounce from side to side and nervously twirl his fingers–he burst out in tears. My eyes got bigger because…. I saw myself. Sure, we may think that explaining a joke is no big deal but to this young boy it was. And beyond just joke telling, it can be overwhelming to so desperately want someone to understand but they just don’t seem to be able to. I tried my best to calm the young boy, knowing all too well the feeling he was experiencing. Before we knew it I was able to bridge our language and age barrier and I was able to help him out and as a result, he was able to share his joke. We laughed and laughed and laughed. The joke was cute but our breakthrough was even cuter. He was 6 and I was 19 and we each knew what it felt like to be misunderstood. Although I was able to help him, sometimes things won’t work out that way for us. We must remember that humans are only humans, like you and I.

Regardless if you express yourself effectively or not, some things are to remain for God. I have been misunderstood in many areas, even with consequences coming out in a skewed way, when my intentions had been good. I’ve been misunderstood in the classroom, in friendships, and in conversation–just to name a few. However, at this point the only thing that still sometimes bothers me is being misunderstood in my walk. God does give us help in our Christian walk but no one can ever replace Him. Sometimes I have a spiritual question and before I even ask someone about it I just KNOW that I should take it directly to the Lord. He hasn’t failed me yet. Cry out to Him who has the knowledge to understand all things and all people.

I am learning that it is okay to be misunderstood to and by the world, fore I am always understood in the Father.

Job 26:14 (KJV): “Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?”