Discovering New Possibilities

 

“Although no one can go back and make a brand-new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand-new ending.”— Carl Bard

When I was serving a church in Florida some years ago, I had a wonderful church member who lost her husband after a prolonged illness.  She had been his primary caregiver for several years, devoting herself to his care.  

In the end, she was exhausted, filled with grief over his loss, and spiritually drained from all that she had been through.  

All of the dreams they'd had of how they would spend their retirement together were dashed, and I remember talking to her about what might come next, and she was too weary to even think about it.  

For years, all of her energy had been focused on her husband, and after he was gone, she couldn't seem to think about anything else.  

Grief has a way of narrowing our vision.

When we focus on what has been lost, it can become difficult to imagine what remains possible. The future begins to feel smaller. Hope feels fragile. Possibilities seem distant.

Yet throughout Scripture, God repeatedly creates new beginnings from unexpected endings.

Abraham leaves everything familiar.

Ruth begins again in a foreign land.

Joseph rises from imprisonment.

Peter recovers after failure.

The resurrection itself emerges from what appeared to be complete defeat.

God has a remarkable habit of creating new possibilities where none seem to exist.

This does not mean every loss is replaced.

Some losses remain losses.

Some dreams remain unrealized.

But God's grace often opens doors we never anticipated.

Isaiah records God saying, “I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:19).

That question is worth pondering.

Do you perceive it?

Grief naturally focuses our attention on closed doors. Hope invites us to notice the ones that are opening.

Carl Bard's observation points toward a profound truth: while we cannot rewrite the past, we can still participate in shaping what comes next.

The sacred journey forward begins not with certainty but with openness.

Openness to surprise.

Openness to healing.

Openness to possibilities we never expected.

My former church member experienced this in abundance.  

She began going to the gym on the regular and became interested in weight lifting. Then she began competing in deadlift competitions and eventually became a nationally ranked competitor. 

The change that came over her was remarkable.  

She found joy, grew more lighthearted, and poured herself into service to the church and community.  Her smile lit up a room when she entered it.  

She discovered a new way forward that she had never dreamed would be possible.  

Sometimes the life we eventually come to cherish is not the one we originally planned.

And sometimes God's most meaningful gifts arrive through roads we never intended to travel.

Prayer

God of new beginnings, help me remain open to possibilities I cannot yet see. When grief narrows my vision, remind me that your grace continues creating pathways forward. Give me courage to embrace whatever new thing you may be doing in my life. Amen.

Reflection Questions

1. Have you ever experienced an unexpected blessing after a disappointment?
2. What possibilities might you be overlooking because of grief?
3. How can you remain open to God's surprises?