I love the word flabbergasted.

It is a wonderfully strange word. It sounds like what happens when your brain suddenly runs into something it cannot process.

And sometimes, I am flabbergasted.

I am flabbergasted by the beauty of creation. By the kindness of a stranger. By the way, God can take a person who seems completely lost and give them direction.

I am also flabbergasted by people.

I am flabbergasted by how quickly we can judge someone we barely know. How confidently can we speak about things we have never investigated. How tightly we can hold our opinions while barely holding on to the truth.

But perhaps what flabbergasts me most is the grace of God.

That God knows everything about me and still loves me.

He knows the thoughts I have never spoken, the motives I would rather hide, the failures I wish I could erase. And yet He continues to pursue me with grace.

I am flabbergasted by that.

The older I get, the more I realize that faith is not about having everything figured out. Sometimes it is simply standing in awe of a God who is far greater, wiser, more patient, and more gracious than I could ever fully comprehend.

And every once in a while, I think it is good for us to stop trying to explain everything.

Sometimes we should stand there, look at the goodness of God, and say: “I am flabbergasted.”