Only God Knows

October  21^st is a date that I will never forget. It’s the day that we will board a plane, depart the U.S.A. and establish residency in Guatemala. I don’t want to be too melodramatic about this; everyone goes through transitions. Some transitions are planned, like ours. Other transitions flop themselves into the middle of our lives with no preparation or opportunity to positions ourselves.

As I've considered this change what is becoming crystal clear is that if I could have the attitude that I currently have, facing all transitions, even unplanned ones, my life would fill with far less anxiety. Many people have graciously asked us “what do you expect the transition to be like?” My response may seem a tad reductionist, “Only God knows…”  

To some it may seem like I’m dismissing their question and avoiding the “real deep conversation about my anxiety,” but, alas, I’m not.

I don’t think that there could be any more comforting response than “only God knows.” Every transition that we face, every crossroads or intersection, there are a litany of possibilities for how the situation ends. Those of us who love control examine every possibility filling our minds with a spider web of options, but to what end?

I’ve been able to plan for this transition. God has graciously given us insight and the freedom to choose the chaotic crossroads that is our move to Guatemala. However, life is a minefield of unplanned transitions. Some are small – a misbehaving child, tension at work, car problems. But some of these are WAY bigger, and we could never plan for them sufficiently – a dreaded call from the doctor saying “it’s terminal”, a child born with severe handicaps, a sudden death, divorce etc.

Nevertheless, the severity of the situation doesn’t change the fact that only God knows. We’ve all had one of those moments, that unplanned transition that lands on our chest like a Mack truck, but even in those situations God knows. God is not surprised. The sorts of earthy obstacles that we face do not faze him. He knows them, and they respond to His voice.

This means that I’m free. I don’t need to know the outcome because I know the Knower. You don’t need to know the outcome because you know the one who knows the outcome and who has determined the outcome.

Some of you may find yourself in the middle of an unplanned transition. Take solace; to God it was not unplanned.

Psalm 37:23-24

²³ The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
    when he delights in his way;
²⁴ though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
    for the Lord upholds his hand.