Understanding

Sometimes we just want someone to understand. Not to solve our problem, not to tell us we're right. Just to understand.

Some friends I know went through a time of misunderstanding. Not too long ago I was frustrated with my husband about not understandng what I wanted him to undertand about me.

I've been thinking lately about relationships and how it's a guarantee that relationships will let us down. We will be disappointed with our friends and our spouses. Friends will not respond the way we hope, not be there the way we expect, basically they'll be human.

And husbands will just be male and we'll be female and sometimes there's just a sliver of common ground that is just not enough.

I was feeling these things one morning, telling God about it, and came across a verse that just comforted me so much.

This high priest of ours understands...Hebrews 4:15 (NLT)
Our God understands... every single thing we think or feel. He understands. What a promise and comfort to rest on. Of course, we have to pour out our hearts to Him so we can receive His understanding. Too much of the time we go around thinking about these disappointments with others, feeling frustrated or hurt or sad or angry, but we fail to tell God all about it.

Thinking about it is not the same as praying about it. In fact it's just the opposite. Thinking about a situation usually means hanging on to it, letting the hurt fester or the anger grow, which usually leads to sin, which leads to the lack of what we want.

In prayer we release it all, find God, and in Him find the comfort, the understanding, we so long for.