“But no one knows the day or the hour. No! Not even the angels in heaven know. The Son does not know. Only the Father knows.” Matthew 24:36
Many years ago, I was blessed with a mystery. Would I be having a boy or a girl baby? I chose to let that mystery unfold and be discovered during delivery. In that mystery I chose both boy and girl names. I decorated in neutral tans with woodland creatures. Really nothing changed on my end I just had to be patient while the mystery unfolded. My love, my care, my role in this new baby’s life would not change. The delivery was not scheduled. I did not know when it would come, on what day or what hour, nor what I would be doing; however, I did prepare and I did have warnings in the final moments it was coming.
Sometimes I think we can engineer mystery out of our life. We like to plan things down to the minute and account for all variables. I remember going in for my 39 week appointment with my oldest and my OB was surprised I hadn’t had him yet, she offered to induce me so we could do it on my time when I was ready, but I opted for the mystery as no health complications existed only my need for patience and facing the unknown of “when.”
Mystery can be a little scary. What is behind door #1 or 2? Will I get that job interview? Will my child live a long full life? How long will I be able to live in this home? Will I survive this health condition….for how long?
But God….
He built so much mystery into this life that only He holds the keys to. He requires this beautiful trust relationship. One that requires great faith.
“If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Pull yourself up by the roots, and plant yourself in the sea!’ and it would obey you.” Luke 17:6
You may not have need to be moving mulberry trees, but I bet you have something in your path you could use some faith to move, a person, situation, or problem that seems impossible.
A little over a year ago, I was going through a season with a lot of “mystery.” I was at a crossroads of change and the Lord was leading me on very uncharted territory. I had little earthly support, only faith to get me through and I sat with a big decision to make and no one who understood but God. As I chatted with a woman that day at an event I had taken my kiddos too, I was very raw and vulnerable. We spoke about faith and I started to cry. I felt like no one in my life understood my faith nor supported my decisions and I felt very alone and sure I was following the Lord but feeling the weight of judgement of others and a bit of fear of what was coming next. She encouraged me with these words, she said, “That is what faith is, there is always a veil over the next step.” In that moment I knew she understood me, what I was facing, and valued the “mystery.” It excited me again about my faith path and I kept moving forward! The next year was full of unique and amazing blessings and LOTS of mystery.
See, we often have the choice of:
The road often travelled, planned out, mowed, no weeds, lots of company, predictable, little mystery
OR
The road less travelled, requires a machete for hacking down tall weeds, little company, unpredictable, lots of mystery
This is no mystery to God; He prepared us for this as well:
“There are two paths before you; you may take only one path. One doorway is narrow, and one door is wide. Go through the narrow door. For the wide door leads to a wide path, and the wide path is broad; the wide, broad path is easy, and the wide, broad, easy path has many, many people on it; but the wide, broad, easy, crowded path leads to death. Now then that narrow door leads to a narrow road that in turn leads to life. It is hard to find that road. Not many people manage it.” Matthew 7: 13-14
We all face the great mystery of what is coming and when. No one knows the day or hour. So, today, let’s examine our path. Let’s look for the narrow door way which few choose to enter, where we may feel more alone, but that leads to life. And while we wait on that mystery to unfold, let us have faith even as small as a mustard seed that God will follow through on His promises.
“For I the Lord do not change…” Malachi 3:6
P.S. Today’s image is one of the great mysteries on earth I was able to experience….I didn’t know it then, but I do now, it was a boy! A boy that has changed me in so many ways and made me so much better than I ever was before he existed!
Father, Today I Surrender:
My Mystery
Show me the next step I should take.