Accept the mystery is a part of a quote I read in Julie Sunne’s book Sometimes I Forget, and I’m pondering it with you today.

For Lent 2025, I’ll be writing new blog posts every day. I’m writing for just five unedited minutes on a quote of the day to deepen our faith in this Lenten season.

Day 32 of Lent 2025 – April 5

My writing friend Julie Sunne was kind enough to send me a copy of her book when it was first published. It’s all about God’s unchanging attributes in short devotional format. I have to admit, it was too painful for me to read at the time she sent it to me. My head was on board, but my heart was hurting as my relationship with God was suffering at the time. However, I’m glad to say that I’ve healed enough to read it now, and I’m gleaning good truths from it.

I’m sharing today’s quote from the chapter God Is Sovereign. This is a truth that has long comforted me about God. Yet my belief was put through a refining fire when Julie first sent me her book. I never stopped believing it. But it was hard to apply to crushing trauma that seemed so custom-fitted to me.

Sometimes Things Seem Unfair

Julie addresses this in another chapter named God Is Simple with these words that affirm so many of our feelings:

“Sometimes it seems God isn’t very caring or understanding. Sometimes things seem unfair. If all things flow through God’s sphere of influence before they get to us, why doesn’t He make them better…Was God punishing me for something? Was He ignoring my needs, or didn’t He care?”

That’s exactly how I felt when I received this book. It was just too painful to think of God being loving, kind, compassionate, etc. I knew those things to be unquestionably true with my whole mind. Yet my heart was in retreat from being so severely traumatized.

Accept the Mystery

Let’s return to the chapter from which today’s quote is drawn and look at it in context:

“Whatever difficult situation we face, the God of the universe is in charge of it. Whether large issues or seemingly small ones, He knows what’s going on, and He has a plan. As the Sovereign, He is allowing the hardship in this season for a reason. We may not understand, but when we accept the mystery of the Divine Supreme Being, believing He has control over all and is never caught off guard, we can choose trust over worry. We can look into our unexpected situation with expectancy for how He will use it in our lives – remembering He’s guiding it all.”

Julie shares with honesty about the huge trials she’s faced. Many are related to being a mom of a child with special needs. She is no stranger to what feels unfair or unjust. That’s why I respect and appreciate her testimonies in these devotions.

Trusting God with Hope

At the end of the book, she tells about going to a national park with her husband on their honeymoon. They saw charred ground from a recent forest fire. Even though they were both scientists who knew the earth would recover from disasters, the loss shook them.

However, decades later, she returned with her husband and children to the same area in Yellowstone. This is what she saw:

“Instead of charred earth, stretched a sea of green grass broken up by the purple, yellow, white, and red of various flowers. Lodgepole pines reached for the sky, while strawberries and huckleberries dotted the undergrowth, begging to be eaten. Life had sprouted from the ashes. It’s a testament to the goodness of a God who controls the universe – a God who transforms the endings we want into the glorious beginnings we need. Trust Him for your new beginning.”

I’m glad I am in a place now where I can accept the mystery. I can trust God over worry and hope for a new beginning after the traumas I’ve faced. I’m grateful Julie painted this beautiful picture of hope in her book while remaining honest about suffering.

Get your copy of Sometimes I Forget HERE.

Join me again tomorrow for another reflection on a different quote.

Find all my additional resources for Lent on this page.

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