Hindsight Leading the Blind

Okay, confession time.  I find hindsight irritating.  It's like an annoying, know-it-all friend that says I told you so after you finally figure out what you should have done.  I mean, really, how much does it help me to see the big picture AFTER I've trudged through mayhem and misery?  What good does it do me to know what it all means AFTER the hectic and hurtful is over?  Hindsight is 20/20 alright, but sometimes it seems to do me about as much good as a hole in the head...or does it? 

When I think about the fact that God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and the source of all wisdom, I realize that He could choose to give me all the benefits of hindsight in the beginning of a trying time.  He could have done that for all of us.   He could have let Joseph see that he would one day be Pharaoh's right-hand man saving a nation, while Joseph was on his way to Egypt as a new slave.  He could have let Moses see he would rescue the Israelites from Egypt on that first night on the run after committing murder.  He could have let Daniel see himself emerge unharmed from the lion's den back when he first was taken into exile.  He could have let Esther see she would save the Jewish people when she first got taken to the palace for the ultimate episode of the Bachelor (yeah, that show is so not new).  He could have let me see myself married to an amazing man of God BEFORE the seven year span of going on NO dates began.  That would definitely have saved me some tears, angry journaling, and pity sessions and it would have saved those biblical figures some times of worry, uncertainty and despair. It would also have robbed us all of some faith.

You see, as much as I'm annoyed by hindsight, I recognize that it is the epilogue of each faith journey in our lives.  It wraps up the experience we've just gone through and acts as a bridge into our next venture that will require even greater faith.  Not being able to see what is coming forces us to rely on God, puts us on our knees in prayer,  and removes any notion that we are winning due to our own power or prowess.  

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation. By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.     Hebrews 11:1-3

These verses in Hebrews say it clearly.  When we can't see what we hope for, we have to trust God for it, and we grow more confident in Him. We represent God well to others, and we recognize that all things come from Him and through Him.  Foresight might seem better to us in the here and now, but  going forward in blind faith is better for us in the long run.  I have learned in life that each challenge you get through with God is preparation for a tougher challenge to come.  The more opportunities I have had to follow God blindly in faith, the stronger that faith has grown, and I needed it to be stronger for the next trial.  Hearing that the next trial may be harder can make you fearful of what is coming if you've just been through something really hard, but I would challenge you to flip the script on your perspective and be reassured.  The way I see it, difficult stuff is coming no matter what, so I'm glad to know that God is constantly making me stronger and more ready to face it.  Hindsight is not that know-it-all friend taunting us with a snotty "I told you so."  Hindsight is our loving Father holding us closely and saying, "I told you it would be so."  Knowing this, we can all slip on our darkest shades and step blindly and confidently into the unknown, with our loving God holding our hand!