How to overcome confusion when it strikes
The Bible has nothing good to say about confusion other than when God confuses His enemies for our benefit. Confusion is part of a curse, "The LORD will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to..." Deut. 28:20/28
Several times the Psalmist associated shame with confusion. In the New Testament Paul warned the church in Galatia about people who were throwing them into confusion. Often when people say, "I am confused," it is a signal that they are not ready to face the truth and make a change. They simply want to stay in their present circumstance and remain confused.
There are times, however, when we can genuinely be confused due to challenging circumstances, puzzling situations, shock or trauma. Four days ago I had mild confusion owing to my travel from Honolulu to Taipei back to Manila, a brief stop in Singapore and now Johannesburg, South Africa.
My daily regiment was off: diets, changing weather patterns, distinguishing differing traffic flows can be confusing when you try to run in a new city. On my fourth kilometer I was struggling to breathe. I had to stop running just to be sure I wasn't headed for something serious. I had no pain but didn't know if it was: sinus allergy, my heart, lungs???
I was confused. I slept well the night before, had stretched, been eating right and was well hydrated. Here were the three things that helped me overcome my confusion:
1. The Sun. It was my Swiss business partner who taught me that the sun is one the main ingredients to overcoming jetlag. The sun resets our body clock like no other. The sooner one spends time under sun the sooner one's body acclimatizes to the new location and the sooner confusion leaves.
Similarly, confusing moments in our life can easily be overcome the sooner we spend time in the presence of our Lord. Christ is the Son. The fixed point in eternity who can lead us to the right path when we find ourselves confused.
2. The Clouds. When confused and discouraged learn to look at the clouds. The Book of Nahum is one of the smallest books in the Bible. But in it we find these words, "His way is in the whirlwind and the storm and the clouds are the dust of his feet." Nahum 1:3b
As I pondered my breathing situation I looked at the clouds to assure myself that despite whatever storm or whirlwind I was facing God was there with me, the dust of His feet was everywhere. I chose to trust rather than be confused.
3. The Friends. At lunch I shared my unusual breathing experience to my South African friends and they all looked at me as if to say, "You didn't know." They explained that the city of Johannesburg is over 1,700 meters above sea level. I come from negative 34. Apparently rugby and soccer teams fly to Joburg days in advance to acclimatize. What more a peewee runner like me.
On top of that Joburg is the world's largest urban forest in the world. It boasts of over 10 million trees of every kind you can imagine. That also means it has the greatest concentration of every imaginable pollen you could be allergic to. No wonder I couldn't breathe. What I was experiencing was normal.
Nothing beats knowledgeable friends when we find ourselves in confusing situations. With a few breathing exercises and a local non-drowsy-anti-histamine, I was back to normal. Herein lies the importance of the Church and being in relationship with people who are not just in the know but who genuinely care.
Summary: When confused stay in the presence of the Son. Look at the clouds and remind yourself God is always with you. Run to friends who can help.
(This post is dedicated to my friends Clint and Peaches Aranas, a people of faith)
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