Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.
Ecclesiastes 7:13‭-‬14 ESV

The Slinky. It’s a classic toy that’s been around for decades. It comes in numerous sizes and colors, and it is found in almost every toy section. Yet, no matter the size, the color, or the location of the slinky, one thing is certain: you cannot mess with its shape. If you straighten any coil, the slinky won’t slink. And trying to rebend a straightened coil or untangle crossed coils is all but impossible. A twisted, altered slinky is not good for anything, for the strength and usefulness of the slinky rests in its coils.

Now look at the above passage. When I read it, I thought of a slinky, for in the same way it is impossible to change a slinky without ruining the slinky, it is impossible for us to make straight what God has made crooked. We must trust that what God has made crooked He has done so for a reason. We may not like the uncertainty of the crooked ways in our lives. We may not like the jiggling that comes with such roads. Yet those crooked ways and all that jiggling, like the coils and jiggling of a slinky, are most likely the very things keeping us moving forward and getting us safely to our destination.

Our beginning, our end, and everything in between are no surprise to God. He knows the reason behind every turn and every curve. As God’s children, it is not our place to know the reason behind every twist and turn in our lives, but it is our duty to follow the lead of the One who does know.

God knows the why to it all, but all we need to know and to trust is the Who. If we know God, then we can also know that He can and will use it all–“even this”—for His good pleasure.   (I emphasize here God’s good pleasure; I didn’t say ours. What is good in God’s eyes is not always pleasing to ours.)

Therefore, I encourage you today to trust God’s sovereignty in your life. Trust His infinite wisdom. Walk each step with joy and with peace knowing that God deemed this the best way to go. No, it may not be pleasant; it may be devastating. But God can and will use it if we allow Him to.

The joy of a slinky is watching it “magically” move on its own, and the jiggling as it makes its way down the staircase actually enhances the experience. So today I pray that you may find joy in the jiggling and hope in the crooked. I pray that God will give you His supernatural peace in knowing that when you “trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding,” and,  “in all the ways acknowledge him,” then “He shall direct thy paths,” no matter how straight or how crooked those paths may be.(Proverbs 3:5‭-‬6 ESV)