"Probably Not"
Hello, and blessings to you today. This is CH (MAJ) Patty Jenkins with the 63d Readiness Division.
Message
I have very little patience with speculation. I have heard people who are nowhere near the information loop speak with complete certainty about what is going to happen next. And what is going to happen next is never something good. They are always certain that something bad is coming, and they are plenty clever enough to figure it out.
Trust me, I like being right. In college I had a koozie that read, “Once I thought I was wrong, but I was mistaken!” My roommate thought it was a solid fit for me. But I’ve come around to see there are better qualities than being right.
We live these days in a swirl of uncertainty. It feels like more than our usual not-knowing, or maybe it is a titanic reminder of how much we have never known. Either way, the uncertainty can be hard to bear.
My pastor shared a story of a friend who keeps a sign next to his bed. It is the first thing he sees when he wakes up in the morning; it reads, “It’s probably not going to happen like that.” Knowing himself, he keeps another sign in the bathroom: “It’s probably not going to happen like that, either.”
Not knowing doesn’t have to be a threat. I didn’t know I would ever give up eating meat, and feel grateful for it (almost 24 years!). I didn’t know I would meet my the good man who is my husband. I didn’t know this pandemic would deepen friendships because I no longer take them for granted. Not knowing can make space for bountiful life.
Blessing
May each of us be open to the lessons of uncertainty. May we hold the reins of our lives gently, loosening our grip on our need for control and predictability. May we grow into the people this time invites us to be. Amen.
Here is the direct email and phone number for anyone requesting support
From the 63d RD Chaplain office,
usarmy.usarc.63-rsc.list.chaplain-all-users@mail.mil
650-526-9668