Looking for God on the left-handed side of life

By J. D. Yates

Have you ever noticed how much of the world seems designed for right-handed people? From school desks to scissors, from tools to table manners, the left-handed person often has to adjust to a world that was not built with them in mind. They learn early how to reach across, shift their hands, and make do in spaces where they were not fully considered.

For many left-handed people, life can feel like a daily reminder that they are living against the grain.

Even language has not always been kind to the left side. The word “sinister” once carried the meaning of “left-handed,” and, over time, it became associated with something dark or wrong.

People with unusual ideas are said to be “out in left field.” Even in biblical imagery, the left side is often viewed as the less favorable side.

But, before we judge the left side too quickly, we should pause and admit something: all of us know what it means to live on the left-handed side of life. You may not be left-handed, but you know what it feels like to be overlooked. You may not write with your left hand, but you know what it means to be misunderstood. You may not struggle with right-handed scissors or right-handed desks, but you know what it means to live in a world that does not always make room for your pain, your story, your burden, or your battle.

There are seasons when life does not feel right. You try to do right, but things still go left. You pray right, serve right, love right, give right, and live right, yet the road still bends in a direction you never expected. Bills rise. Health fails. Families strain. Friends disappear. Doors close. Hearts break. And somewhere in the middle of all that confusion, the soul begins to ask, “Lord, where are You?”

That was the cry of Job. Job was a man who knew what it meant for life to turn left without warning. He had family, wealth, health, respect, and stability.

Then, in a painful series of losses, everything changed. His children were gone. His possessions were gone. His body was afflicted. His friends came near, but instead of comforting him, they accused him. They assumed his suffering had to be the result of secret sin.

But Job’s story teaches us that suffering is not always punishment. Sometimes suffering is a mystery. Sometimes trouble comes not because we have done wrong, but because faith is being tested in ways we cannot fully understand.

In the middle of his pain, Job looked for God. He looked forward, but could not perceive Him. He looked backward, but could not find Him. He turned to the left, but God seemed hidden. He turned to the right, but still could not see Him.

Job was surrounded by trouble, covered in grief, and buried under questions. Yet Job discovered something powerful: even when he could not find God, God still knew where he was.

That is a word for somebody today. You may not always be able to trace God’s hand, but you can still trust God’s heart. You may not see Him moving in the moment, but He has not lost sight of you. You may feel like you are living on the left-handed side of life, but God is not limited to the right side. He is still God on the left.

Many people are frustrated because they are trying to turn right, but life keeps pushing them left. They are trying to be faithful, but trouble keeps showing up. They are trying to live holy, but temptation keeps knocking. They are trying to keep peace, but conflict keeps rising. They are trying to hold their family together, but pressure keeps pulling it apart.

And yet, the lesson from Job is simple but strong: when life goes left, keep living right. When money gets tight, do not let desperation make you dishonest. When relationships become strained, do not let loneliness lead you into the wrong arms.

When people criticize you unfairly, do not let bitterness steal your spirit. When trouble surrounds you, do not throw away your faith.

Keep praying. Keep believing. Keep serving. Keep praising. Keep doing right, even when life feels wrong.

Faith is not proven only when the refrigerator is full, the bills are paid, the body is healthy, and everybody likes you. Faith is also proven when there is nothing in the refrigerator but cold water and ice cubes, when the doctor’s report is heavy, when friends are few, and when the night seems long.

Anybody can praise God on the right-handed side of life, but mature faith learns how to praise Him on the left-handed side, too.

That kind of faith is what I call ambidextrous faith. An ambidextrous person can use both hands. They can function with the right and with the left. That is the kind of faith believers must develop: a faith that can trust God in sunshine and storm, in plenty and in lack, in the sanctuary and in the sickroom.

And perhaps the clearest picture of God’s power on both sides is seen at Calvary. Jesus hung on an old rugged cross between two thieves, one on His right and one on His left. Even there, in the place of death, shame, and suffering, grace was still available.

One dying man cried out, “Lord, remember me,” and Jesus answered with mercy. That moment reminds us that nobody is too far left for God to reach. You may feel forgotten, but He remembers you. You may feel too broken, but He can restore you.

You may feel too guilty, but He can forgive you. You may feel too weak, but He can strengthen you. You may feel like life has pushed you to the wrong side, but Jesus still saves on both sides.

So, when life turns left, do not give up. Look for God. When the road bends in a painful direction, keep trusting. When the tears fall, keep believing that joy still comes in the morning. When the night gets dark, remember that darkness is not dark to God.

When you cannot see Him, remember that He still sees you.

Life may not always hand you what is comfortable. The world may not always make room for your pain. People may not always understand your struggle. But God is not absent from the left-handed side of life. He is the God of both sides.

So, keep living right, even when life goes left. The same Jesus who carried the cross, died on Calvary, and rose early Sunday morning got up with power in His right hand, power in His left hand, and all power in His hands.