In our kitchen, we have a large dry erase board that was originally installed during my homeschooling days. Currently, it serves as the area where we post our grocery list and leave notes for one another. This morning when I wandered into the kitchen for my cup of morning coffee, I discovered a message from my husband who had already left for work. In large red font, accented with triangular zig-zags to indicate imminent importance, were these words, “TRICIA, PART OF YOUR TOOTH IS IN YOUR RETAINER.”

I stared at my husband’s note; it took a minute for it to sink in. Then I laughed.

You see, I recently had a tooth extracted. In order to hold the space while the wound heals, the dentist ordered a specially-made retainer that includes a false tooth. My poor husband obviously did not understand this. Since I forgot to wear my retainer to bed last night, he saw it on the counter this morning and assumed that somehow, without my knowledge, I had lost part of another one.

To his credit, at least he was concerned about me.

The incident made me think about how I treat God.

When something doesn’t go my way, I tend to have the same reaction that my husband did. I think, “What in the world happened? Obviously, God’s asleep on the job. He must not realize that this part of his world is broken.” Then, I proceed to tell him all about it.

I guess that’s not necessarily a bad thing. After all, the Bible tells us to cast our cares upon the Lord. The problem is usually my attitude.

“God, where are you? Don’t you realize that I’m hurting?”

“God, what’s wrong with you? You must not love me if you’re going to let this happen.”

“God, how could you? I thought you were in control of everything.”

Of course, it’s unlikely that I could lose a tooth without realizing it, but it’s impossible that God doesn’t know what’s going on in his world.

Psalm 135:5-7 says, “I know the greatness of the Lord—that our Lord is greater than any other god. The Lord does whatever pleases him throughout all heaven and earth, and on the seas and in their depths. He causes the clouds to rise over the whole earth. He sends the lightning with the rain and releases the wind from his storehouses.”

There is not a problem that you or I face that God does not know about. There is not a care that we carry that He does not understand. The Bible tells us that he keeps our tears in a bottle and records our cries in a book. He knows what each and every one of us is going through—whether it’s a small inconvenience or a major crisis. We can be assured that our Creator never closes his eyes, and thankfully, we can also be confident that he cares.

Romans 5:8 says, “ But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

So, what are we supposed to do when it looks like our world (or at least our piece of it) is broken? It all boils down to trust. If God knows and God loves us, then we must have faith that no matter how it looks on our end, he has got it all under control.

1 Corinthians 13:12 says, “Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.”

I texted Ian and explained to him about the retainer. He’s a good sport and thought it was funny too. One day, I think we’ll be able to sit down with God in Heaven, and maybe, just maybe, we’ll be able to see a little humor in some of the things that trip us up now. In the meantime, we can take comfort in the fact that God never sleeps on the job.