The Madness is Well Underway

March Madness is well underway and the month of college basketball is always filled with upsets, craziness, confusion, and buzzer-beaters. So many exciting games are being played during the conference tournaments right now, and soon we will be watching the chaos in the NCAA Tournament.  When I watch multiple games at once, my head spins as I try to consume it all and soak in every close finish. Unfortunately, sometimes when four games are going on at once, I can’t keep up with which team has the ball and what the game situations are in each of them. Also, with so many upsets and surprises, it's easy to get confused when one team is expected to win, but falls short and gets bounced from the tournament. Because we all love the madness college basketball brings in March, we embrace the confusion that comes along with it. However, when it comes to our own lives, confusion can be very frustrating. We struggle with wanting to make the right decisions and desire to have clarity in our lives. We ask if we should leave our job when another company offers us a new opportunity. We wonder if we should buy a house now or wait until the economy improves. If we are in a season of struggle, we can become baffled by what God is doing in our lives. When we deal with confusion, we can find comfort in a couple of verses in the Bible. 1 Corinthians 14:33 (ESV) says: “For God is not a God of confusion but of peace…” Isaiah 26:3 (NLT) also offers us hope: “You (Lord) will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You!” Today, let’s remember that regardless of the madness and confusion we face, our peace and clarity are found when we seek and trust a God who is powerful, loving, and willing to comfort us. Thankfully, we don’t have to stay in the confusion...we just need to stop trying to figure everything out on our own. I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that! PRAYER: Heavenly Father, help me to come to you for peace and understanding when I get confused, and my life is filled with madness. Thank you for the love, comfort, and clarity you offer me when I seek You and find refuge in You. Forgive me for trying to fight through the confusion on my own. Please guide and direct me today. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.