Into the Unknown
O’ Theophilus,
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 1:1, ESV).
I write to you in this second entry to bring exciting news. I am preparing to travel overseas, to Italy, to cities there of historical significance, museums of renowned art, and even sites of martyrdom for those who have walked this faith journey before you and I. While traveling often takes me out of comfort, into the unknown, such travels will certainly change me in ways that I am completely unprepared for. I look forward to bringing you along in this journey, so I encourage you to anticipate further correspondence in the coming days.
In these moments before stepping into the unknown, I have been meditating generally on the unexpected in my life and faith journey. I recently read and pondered the following passage: “A man’s steps are from the LORD; how then can man understand his way?” (Prov. 20:24). Many hours I have spent trying to understand where I am, how I got here, and where I am going. I have rehearsed many things over in my life, past, present, and future, asking mercilessly the following questions: “Why has this happened”? “For what purpose is this happening?” “What will happen?” In my faith journey, I have sought answers from the Lord on what He is doing in, through, and for me as I face the unexpected and unknown. Friends, the truth of Proverbs 20:24 offers relief from such overwhelming and fruitless anxiety. We may not know the answers, nor what’s to come. In things not known, we can rely and entrust our steps to the Lord, because He is at work in them. Ultimately, He works all things to our good, to conformity to the image of His Son (Rom. 8:28-29). In this truth, you and I can face the unknown, knowing something, or Someone, who will certainly meet us there.
I look forward to meeting Jesus in this journey to come and how I will look more like Him after. Pray for me as I face the unknown in my travels and in my life circumstantially, and I will petition the Lord to strengthen your trust and confidence in Him in the unknown. The unknown will bring you to know Him that much more, so step in faith, most excellent Theophilus.
Grace be with you,
caleb