Predictably Unpredictable

We all know someone who’s always unpredictable, but technically, doesn’t that make them predictable? Or at least predictably unpredictable.

My Dad was always unpredictable, but a few incidents rise above the rest. We had spent one morning enjoying the outdoors, and around ten or eleven in the morning we packed up the truck and headed home, or so I thought. He decided to take a few scenic tours along the way. On the way to who-knows-where, he noticed something lying in the ditch on the side of the road. He whipped the truck around to see what it was. When he saw it, his eyes lit up. He was like a six-year-old on Christmas morning. It was a six foot tall moose. Well, not an actual moose, but the next best thing. It was a silhouette of a moose, cut out of a piece of plywood and painted brown.

There was a fence line along the side of the road, and it looked to me like the original owner of the enthralling six-foot-tall moose silhouette had, at some point, nailed it to his fence post to allow passer-bys (wait, is it passers-by? How about just “other drivers.” Yeah, that’s better. Let’s go with that. I just asked my wife. She said everyone knows it’s “passers-by.” She told me to delete this parenthetical reference. I said, “I’m gonna keep it, it’s funner this way.” She yelled at me, “FUNNER IS NOT A WORD!” But the parenthetical reference remains. Who’s the boss now?) to allow passers-by to enjoy his creation. My conclusion was that the wind had blown this visual piece of eye candy off the fence post and sent it tumbling into the ditch. My Dad disagreed. He thought someone had dumped it there. But who in their right mind would ever dump a beautiful, breathtaking, six-foot-tall moose silhouette on the side of the road? Surely no one would do such a thing! But Dad was convinced, and one man’s trash was my Dad’s treasure. He loaded up his loot in the back of the truck and brought it home—as a gift for my mother.

Needless to say, she was elated.

Could she have predicted Dad would bring home a six-foot-tall moose silhouette that day? Doubtful. Could she have predicted Dad would do something she could never predict that day? Undoubtedly.

Predictably unpredictable.

Just like my dad, God’s unpredictable, too. But, thankfully, God is also predictably unpredictable. That is, He might not fulfill the promise when and where you want Him to, but, HE WILL FULFILL THE PROMISE.

Who knows, perhaps a moose silhouette will soon show up at your door. You can only hope to be so lucky.

Keep reading about my ever-so-interesting dad and his amazing faith…
It’s Okay To Trust In God: at testimony of faith
 
 
Like this? Try this:
Theology By Nightlight
Or this:
For Love of the Game
 

4 Replies to “Predictably Unpredictable”

  1. This was great, Darren! Laughed out loud—not just lol’d because we all know lol means “I know you think that what you just wrote was funny so I’ll throw you an lol.”

  2. Great story Darren. I have emptied my kleenex box! Don’t forget when he bought one of the many cars on the side of the road while under the influence of anesthesia after getting his wisdom teeth out! I remember telling Karin to make sure he went into a jewelry store the next time. Always wonderfully unpredictable. Thanks for starting my day out with a smile.

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