by Sandra Elizabeth

Created on: May 13, 2009   Last Updated: May 23, 2009

It would be impossible to list all the ways in which life can be unpredictable, being that its unpredictability starts from the moment we draw our first breath until the second we gasp for our last. Ben Franklin's quote "but in the world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes" holds as true today as the day he was quoted. Life turns on a dime and can change at the drop of a hat.

As scary as that sounds, the unpredictably of life is what makes life itself worth living. If you knew every move life was going to make in advance, what would be the point in staying in the game? For instance and on a smaller scale, if you knew for sure, you were going to lose on every lottery scratch off you bought; from here on out, how many tickets would you buy? Probably none, right (no sense in wasting your time or your money)? By knowing for sure that all the tickets were losers, the possibility that a winner could exist in the bunch ceased to exist. You may have saved a few hundred dollars but knowing for sure, cost you anticipation, it cost you hope, two things priceless.

The unpredictability of life brings much pain but it also carries with it great joy. If taken out of life's equation, both will perish. Life's inconsistency provokes the will to try and it prods encouragement to try even harder. Without its fickleness, there would be no need for our attempts and with no need for our attempts; it would make sense there would be no need for us. If everything were inevitable, what would be the point of our existence?

Life's unpredictability is its source of hope. It brings with it things to look forward to and causes the dread of facing them and it always interferes with both. What seems like the worst thing that could ever happen, sometimes turns out to be the best and what seems like the best thing that could ever happen, sometimes turns out to be the worst. One of the greatest gifts God gave of us was, not knowing for sure.

With out uncertainty, we would never experience the feeling of optimism amid gloom and doom (a saving grace to many). We would not take unnecessary risks and we certainly wouldn't take any chances because without life's unpredictably, there are no risks or chances to be had. If everyone knew the outcome of every event, there would be no Super Bowl, no World Series and no Olympics. The unknown sparks a human being's drive; if it came to the point where we all knew everything, we can just pull over because there's no point in continuing with our journey, the ride is officially over.

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