THE PREDICTABLY UNPREDICTABLE
Life is predictably unpredictable, right? I mean, the only thing you can count on is that something unseen, something unexpected, will loom out of the routine of the everyday same ol' same ol'. Confused? Well, let me elucidate.
Take the other day, for instance. Right now we are in the midst of the winter tribulation commonly called March Break. This is one of the cruelest of times in our modern era as our weakened, winter-weary souls have to deal with our three boys bouncing off the walls, us and each other. Seems that they instinctively sense our weakness, and, like a pack of wolves singling out a sick fawn from the herd, our boys circle for the kill. Actually, this break has gone fairly well. On Monday, we were off to Saint John to go out for lunch and a matinee. We went to see "The Borrowers", an excellent movie, by the way.
We spied the movie with another family, the Clarkes, and a great time was had by all. Afterwards, we drove out to their home and did a bit of socializing before calling it a night and getting ready for the 90 minute sojourn home. Ah, what a day! The boys were great, Sheila behaved herself for the most part, and we were entertained by a great movie without being offended (a rare thing these days!) Most of all, we got to see our buddies, Geoff and Hazel, something that I haven't been able to do in quite some time.
That's when, you guessed it, the predictably unpredictable occurred! Now, depending on your perspective, you might have a conflicting opinion on what really transpired next, but let me remind you, I was there! I was involved, and yes, the truth is out there! I'm not a scientist. I can't fully explain all of the physical-geological aspects of this mystery, but again, let me assure you, I was there, I experienced it, it happened! As we were backing out of the Clarke's lane, somehow the earth moved and a ditch appeared where once there was a lane. Call it a sliding sinhole, call it a migrational chasm, call it whatever you like, the point is we were in it! Ok, part way in it. Seems like this sliding sinkhole was a bit on the slow side. The result? The front driver's side did a nose dive, leaving the rear passenger side two feet in the air!
Humm, not nice. Geoff, Hazel and I opened the rear passenger door and stood on the frame and hung off the door trying to bring all four wheels back to terra firma, but alas, we didn't have the combined gravitational force to make it happen. Now, under other circumstances, I would have been pleased by my lack of heft since I've spent most of my years as the anchor in the tug of war game of life, but this time, it was not to be!
Fortunately, Geoff knew his neighbors (yes, he lives in the country) and his neighbor just happened to have a tractor with a winch on it. To make a long story short, the car was released from it's precarious predicament with nary a scratch. Praise God!
Did I wake up that morning thinking I would be pursued by a geological anomaly? No! Was there a sense of foreboding seconds before our capture? No! It just happened, plain and simple. That's my point. Every life is like that — one moment you can be having the time of your life — the next something happens and your life comes to a screeching halt; throwing you off balance! Maybe it's an illness that's more serious than you thought. Perhaps it's a friend you thought you could trust; a spouse that seemed devoted and true; a job that looked as permanent as bedrock. Life's like that. Expect a surprise to come your way. Question is: What do you do with these kinds of surprises?
Realize you have friends! Don't think you have to endure anything on your own. That's just pride talking! The Church is to be a one another place, a place where we gain strength from our Lord; and from each other. Life's too difficult, too short to play a macho game of "I can do it on my own." I'd still be in that ditch if it weren't for Geoff and Geoff's neighbor.
Instead of getting worked up, look up! In the past, such happenings would have flustered me a little — ok, a lot! But not this time! Instead I just prayed. When Geoff went to get the tractor and Hazel told me it hadn't been running well and I heard the starter whining and the engine sputtering and Geoff trying time and again, I didn't give up, I prayed, and it started! Point is, getting angry, saying "why me?", or just stamping my little feet, wouldn't have helped things one bit.
Once again I am reminded about Jesus' remarks to the disciples about children. He said, that the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. When we got stuck, the boys filed out and went back into the house. They looked at it as a bonus; more time to play! They were oblivious to the possibilities of being stuck there for a long time, or the possibilities of damage to the vehicle, or the cost of a tow truck or a thousand other things that would pop into an adult head. They just went with the flow and trusted that everything would work out! Shouldn't we face the predictably unpredictable with the same attitude of trust and faith in our Lord?
Prayer
Lord, thank you for the predictably unpredictable! We know that you don't always put them in our path, but we do know that you do use them for good in our lives! Thank you for the support of our friends, our brothers and sisters in Christ. Help us remember that you never intend us to "do it on our own!" Lord, help us to trust you and go with the flow as we walk through the sliding sinkholes of our lives! Thanks for being a God we can trust in all circumstances! Amen!
