Back to Character Qualities List

Understanding

Exhibiting strong intelligence and a sound mind in comprehending and discerning matters.

Devotional Thought

Read Acts 8:26-39.

The lives of Philip and an Ethiopian eunuch intersected on a desert road. The eunuch was reading the book of Isaiah, but he was struggling with understanding it. Philip had an understanding of this passage, and he helped guide him to the truth. God used him in a mighty way to help the eunuch receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. What joy both of these men experienced through understanding.

It is important that we do everything in our power to seek understanding. Like the Ethiopian, we need to seek out people and resources so we can learn properly. Like Philip, we need to be prepared to help others in their times of need. In their story, God provided answers which were understood. But there are times when the answers aren't easily found.

Chuck Swindoll says, "Frankly, sometimes God's heavenly plan doesn't always make earthly sense. Though we don't like to admit it verbally, we all think it, right? Sometimes His logic is illogical. Our understanding is earthbound and limited. Our focus is from the ground up. We are boxed in by the tight radius of time (as we measure it), multiplied by the circumference of logic (as we perceive it) and we operate in a dimension totally unlike our Lord….who knows no limitations. We see now while He sees forever. We judge on the basis of temporal, while He on the basis of eternal. We try to make all the pieces of the puzzle fit together, while God's logic is inscrutable, unsearchable and unfathomable."

Some of my greatest character-building moments have occurred through my darkest experiences, simply because I've learned and grown from them. I've been benched, demoted, rejected and mocked more times than I want to admit. These humbling moments have proven to be some of the most teachable times. One of my life goals is to learn from bad situations the first time around rather than encountering it over and over because of my refusal to learn. When handled appropriately, failures and disappointments can be a catalyst for understanding.

Proverbs 20:24 reminds us, "A man's steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand his own way?" Sometimes the key to understanding is to accept by faith that God does have everything figured out, and we must trust Him with the results.