God Writes Straight in Wonky Lines

There is an old Portuguese proverb that has lingered in my mind for years:

'God writes straight in crooked lines.'

I have always smiled at it. It captures something profound with remarkable simplicity. Life rarely unfolds in straight lines. It meanders through disappointment, delay, heartbreak, and unexpected turns. Looking back over the decades, I can honestly say that very few of the most significant moments in my life arrived by the route I had planned.

The Chinese tell a similar story.

An old farmer's horse ran away. His neighbours came to console him.

'What terrible luck,' they said.

The old man simply replied, 'Maybe.'

A few days later the horse returned, bringing several wild horses with it.

'What wonderful luck!' cried the neighbours.

'Maybe,' said the old man.

His son attempted to tame one of the horses, fell, and broke his leg.

'How dreadful!'

'Maybe.'

Soon afterwards, the emperor's army swept through the village, conscripting every able-bodied young man for war. Because of his broken leg, the son was left behind.

The story ends there, leaving the listener to ponder a simple truth: we seldom possess enough knowledge to judge whether today's events are blessings or disasters.

It is wise counsel.

Yet Christianity carries the thought even further.

The Chinese proverb suggests that life is unpredictable. Christianity declares that life is purposeful. Behind all the apparent randomness stands a God who neither sleeps nor loses control. Events that seem disconnected to us are being woven together by hands infinitely wiser than our own.

Joseph understood this better than most.

Sold into slavery by his own brothers, falsely accused, imprisoned, forgotten... if ever a man had reason to believe his life had gone terribly wrong, it was Joseph.

Yet years later he looked into the eyes of the very brothers who had betrayed him and uttered one of the most astonishing sentences in Scripture:

'You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.'
(Genesis 50:20)

Notice the remarkable distinction. Joseph did not say that God merely salvaged a terrible situation after it had happened. He recognised that while evil men pursued one purpose, God was simultaneously pursuing another. Human intentions and divine intentions were moving through the same events, but toward entirely different ends.

That is an extraordinary thought.

It means that while we often see only chaos, God sees composition.

We see tangled threads.

He sees the finished tapestry.

The Apostle Paul expressed the same confidence:

'And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose