Weekly Devotional - Rev. Teri Lubbers 12/05/2012
"We Never Know"
When we think that something is going to bring us pleasure, we don’t know what’s really going to happen. When we think something is going to give us misery, we don’t know. Letting there be room for not knowing is the most important thing of all…When there’s a big disappointment, we don’t know if that’s the end of the story. It may be just the beginning of a great adventure.
~Pema Chodron, “The Pocket Pema Chodron”
Sometimes our biggest obstacle in life can be thinking that we already know all we need to know, that we have it all figured out. When we are pretty sure that we have all the answers, we stop thinking about the questions, we stop wondering about the possibilities, and we stop growing.
People talk about suspending disbelief, but I think sometimes we need to suspend our beliefs – preconceptions – about how things are, how we are, how God is. Lots of people are looking for a messiah – someone who will rescue them from whatever seems threatening or impossible or not how it’s supposed to be – but we usually want the messiah to come in recognizable garb, and to meet our expectations. No one expected Jesus to come in the form of a vulnerable human child, but that’s how he showed up.
We don’t have to fear the unfolding of life if we remember that love and joy sometimes show up disguised as something else. We can make some breathing room around our expectations if we remember that God may be dreaming something for us that we haven’t yet dreamed for ourselves. We can let there be room for not knowing…room to be surprised…room to be in awe.
Prayer: God, dream a new dream in me and let me hold lightly all that I think I know. Amen.
