The World that Crackles With Possibility
Thoughts on transitions, vulnerability, boats and storms, hope and possibilities.
Hello my friends,
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Sometimes we choose change, and sometimes change chooses us. But when you’ve set off from one shore, but not yet reached the other side, it’s always uncomfortable and unsettling. We call it the messy middle because it is a mess. The uncertains and unknowns are not neatly tied up and out of the way so no one trips over them. They’re all out there, a jumbled bunch of ropes that you can’t seem to find the ends or beginnings of. A moving ball of chaos and disorder that you’re somehow responsible for, as though you’re trying to tame an octopus that just won’t stay still. And all the while, under your feet, the boat just keeps rocking and swaying in the waves.
When we’re out in the middle of the unknown, we’re often grieving what went before: the friendship that seemed so sure, the faith that looked so certain, the job that seemed so secure, the place that felt like home. We miss the feeling of having our feet firmly on terra firma, the solid ground we thought would hold us steady forever.
I talk about this with my Spiritual Director and she points me toward the story of Jesus calming the storm.
That day when evening came, he [Jesus] said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
Mark 4:35-38
If I picture myself in the story, I imagine Jesus helping me into the boat, holding out his hand to strengthen and steady me as I step across the gunwale. The boat is rocking and I’m trying to get my bearings as we set off, with Jesus asleep in the stern. As we get to the middle of the lake and a storm descends, I realise again, just how little control I have over anything at all.
…
In our in-between seasons, we don’t have much control of anything either. We can’t force the season to move more quickly, we can’t still storms or stop bad things from happening. There’s no sugar coating the future. We’ve left the safety of the land, and there are no guarantees that life will work out as we want it to on the other side. It’s terrifyingly vulnerable. As the storms of life whip up out of seemingly nowhere and rage around me, I’m with the disciples in the boat asking, Lord, don’t you care? Don’t you see what’s going on here? Where are you?
It’s interesting to me that the disciples remain terrified throughout the story. They’re terrified of the storm and they’re terrified when the wind and waves obey Jesus and calm down. It’s not a small thing to be in the company of such majesty and mystery. Who knows what he will do next? As Tish Harrison Warren writes, ‘mystery is an encounter with an unsearchable reality, an acknowledgement that the world crackles with possibility because it is steeped in the shocking and unpredictable presence of God.’ 1
I love the idea of the world crackling with possibility. It reminds me again of why we tend to our in-between spaces with hope and imagination. It’s true that we don’t know what storms will arise, and that we are vulnerable to whatever comes our way. But it’s also true that we don’t yet know how Jesus will calm those storms, how he will show up to bring peace out of our fear, order to our chaos and resurrection to all the places we thought were dead.
As we sit in our boats, transitioning from one shore to the next, we are not alone. Let’s give Jesus the benefit of believing he is with us in our vulnerability, staying close as we feel the anxiety of our unknowns, leading us into hopes and possibilities we haven’t yet even begun to imagine.
Reading Recommendations
You know we love a good book around here! Here’s what I’ve been reading lately:
If your transition season involves healing from any kind of trauma, or if you just really love beautiful writing, I can’t recommend this book highly enough. Cleverly structured around Psalm 23, The Lord is My Courage interweaves the mind of a theologian and the heart of a trauma-informed therapist alongside personal stories which result in the creation of a really safe, healing space for readers. I’ve had some interaction with KJ online, and she is the real deal. This book reflects her beautiful heart and I think you’ll love it as much as I did.
This Time Tomorrow, by Emma Straub
A brilliant novel in which the main character, Alice, discovers she can time travel back to her sixteenth birthday any time she wants. Poignant, nostaligic and wholesome, the novel explores what it might be like to choose different versions of your life and how strong and precious the relationship between parent and child can be. If, like me, you need an escape from the state of the world and want to hide your heart in a tender, gentle story, I highly recommend this one. And if you like it, you’ll also enjoy All Adults Here, by the same author.
And finally…
Thank you for being here! I love hearing from you, so if you enjoyed what you read, feel free to leave me a comment or give me like. If you’re reading in your email, just click the heading and it’ll take you right to the web version where you can comment away!
If you know someone else who would appreciate my words, please share them. That’s how our community grows and how we all feel a little bit less alone as we inhabit our in-between spaces together.
Tish Harrison Warren, Prayer in the Night: For Those Who Work or Watch or Weep, IVP, p. 25.
Goodness, these are such kind words. Thank you. 🙏🏼
Thank you for the invitation to hopefulness Abby. After a long period of waiting without results and so much uncertainty about the future, I needed this reminder that God is still at work and Jesus can do unexpected and creative things