Ecclesiastes 9:11-12

Ecclesiastes 9:11-12(NRSV)

Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to the skillful; but time and chance happen to them all. For no one can anticipate the time of disaster. Like fish taken in a cruel net, and like birds caught in a snare, so mortals are snared at a time of calamity, when it suddenly falls upon them.

In other words, expect the unexpected!

So what do we do then to prepare for life's disruptions?

It seems being swift enough or strong enough or wise enough or intelligent enough or skillful enough isn't going to do it.

So what then?

Some read the text today and think that life is simply unfair.

Others read it and find comfort knowing that God, and not them, is in charge.

And others - and I probably include myself here if I'm honest - slide back and forth between the two notions.

I've always wanted to be prepared for whatever life throws at me. I struggle with anxiety, and that gets heightened when I have little control over a situation. 

I suspect I'm not alone here!

Life will give me - us - disruptions. And all my preparation won't stop that.

And yet still I - we - prepare, don't we? Because despite the fact that those preparations may not prevent tragedy from striking, they nevertheless help make life worth living. 

They nevertheless give me a way to relate to others.

To and then to help others when they too are faced with life's disruptions.

Lord, prepare me for life and stay with me when life gives me the unexpected! Amen