“Embrace uncertainty…Some of the most beautiful chapters of your life won’t have a title until much later.” – Bob Goff

“Uncertainty is where things happen. It is where the opportunities – for success, for happiness, for really living – are waiting.” – Oliver Burkeman

So much of life cannot be explained, yet it seems like we do our darnedest to put some sort of reasoning and justification behind things that are simply unexplainable.

I tend to be more left-brained – the analytical, sequential, and orderly type.  I absolutely love when things fall within a predictable “cause and effect” sequence – “Well…this must have happened as a result of that.” Or …. “If I would have done this in the first place, none of that would have unfolded like it did.”   I think I find some kind of egotistical comfort in being able to figure things out, to understand their connection, and maybe most of all; to see all that surfaces in my life as well within my control to handle.

But most things that unfold cannot be understood.  There is no rhyme or reason behind them – no logical explanation or rationalization for why they occurred.  The timing seems off, the events aren’t justified, and the circumstances don’t align in ways that are easy to navigate and comprehend.

How can we come across someone we love beyond measure, feel an extraordinary connection to, and yet circumstances make it impossible to be together?  How can a young man with his entire life ahead of him decide to end it so abruptly – out of the blue?  How can a life-long mate change so instantly – without any warning or apparent signs?  How does one choose drugs over their own children or how do companies choose greed at the expense of the employees who are the very heart of their success?

Why does death take the young and leave the elderly and the sick alone to suffer in agony?  Why is it that abused spouses remain entrenched in abuse and individuals of good character and intentions can’t seem to find a mate?

Why do the downtrodden fail to catch any breaks while the self-entitled rich and wealthy just keep flourishing?  Why is the good in this world diminishing and evil becoming more prevalent?

One explanation is that life has no rhyme or reason – that fate, luck and chance are in the driver’s seat.  Like the roll of the dice or the shuffling of the cards, we are all subject to whatever falls or is dealt.

Is there currently any uncertainty that has unfolded in your own life – something that defies logic, that makes no sense, or that has left you wondering why things are so out of control?

If there is, realize that uncertainty is a temporal illusion – a fixture of the human condition.  There really is no such thing.  Definitive meaning behind events, circumstances and situations that surface in our lives is ALWAYS present – it’s just a temporary mystery or beyond our capabilities to understand in the moment.  Within the spiritual realm, all things have meaning, significance, and purpose – nothing happens outside of the authority or control of the Creator.

The Scriptures tell us “For everything there is a season, a time to every purpose under heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1 KJV).  The Psalmist writes, “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” (Psalm 139:16 NIV) and the prophet Isaiah was inspired by God to write, “I am the Lord, and there is no other.  I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster.  I, the Lord, do all these things.” (Isaiah 45:6-7 NIV)

This reminds us that certainty lies behind the illusion of uncertainty – that all things in this world have meaningful purpose and are subject to God’s overriding authority and sovereignty.

If a God of love is in control, then the illusion of uncertainty must be embraced – as mentioned in the quote from Bob Goff above.  Believe it will all have meaning (beautiful meaning) someday – that the logic, reasoning, and purposes within it will all be revealed.  The Apostle Paul writes, “Now I know in part, then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”  (1 Corinthians 13:12 NIV)

For those of you who discount or place little value in spiritual belief and explanation, think about this:  Fate has no consequential meaning.  Luck has no purpose.  Chance is as fleeting as the wind.

Yet each and every one of us has meaningfully loved someone, we have sensed a strong purpose behind a relationship or a line of work, and we have felt the certainty and confidence within a course we have chosen to pursue.  These things are real – they are evident and undeniable.

But if ALL is fate, luck or driven by chance, then it is ALL overwhelmingly uncertain.  No certainty or assurance can be found in these things.

The truth is that all is certain, definitive, and known – even within the illusion of uncertainty!  Uncertainty is centered in fear and doubt.  By realizing it is nothing but a temporal illusion, we can live life in peace and assurance that ALL THINGS, although they seem to be uncertain, have meaningful purpose at the very heart of them – held firmly in the Hands of a loving God.

Rest in this today my friend.

“You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment, You know where I am.” – Psalm 139:3 TLB