“When nothing is sure, everything is possible.”
Margaret Drabble
Nearly everything we buy nowadays comes with a warranty or a guarantee. Whether an air fryer or a major appliance, there is certainty that the product will meet the consumer’s satisfaction, or it will be repaired or replaced. Recently, I purchased a small accent lamp for my hallway. It was under 15.00, yet I was offered an extended warranty. Honestly, the paperwork and time involved in insuring the lamp would have most likely cost more than the product alone.
Unlike the products we buy, our earthly journey does not come with a warranty. If our circumstances do meet our expectations, we don’t get to exchange them for something more compatible and suitable for what we had hoped. Therefore, when loss ushers in disappointment, our choices then are really rather simple: we can either cling to the old ways, or we can embrace faith.
“Disappointment,” Zig Ziglar wrote, “is a temporary detour, not a dead end.” I desperately wanted to live into old age with Jim, watch our children flourish, and our grandchildren grow, but that is not what happened. To say I am disappointed, is an understatement. However, our unconditional love and our friendship is a gift that I treasure.
Through time, I have given my will over to God’s and developed a deeper faith in Him accepting that He truly is in control. Dan Millman writes that, “Faith means living with uncertainty - feeling your way through life, letting your heart guide you like a lantern in the dark.” My faith has been my guide.
The experience of purchasing my lamp made me rethink and reevaluate how I handle struggles because nothing is promised. Leaning into the teachings of Jesus continues to help me navigate dark times. As written in Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet, a light for my path.” Strange, isn’t it, that the purchase of a cheap lamp at a discount store can lead to enlightenment!
Educator and author, Patrick Overton said that, “when you walk to the edge of light, one of two things will happen. There will be something solid for you to stand upon, or you will be taught to fly.” Although the heights are dizzying, faith will give us wings to go beyond what we never thought we could. Nothing along our journey here is guaranteed, so let’s live joyously in the moments given.
Make the impossible possible.