The Joy of Nothing

You can count on nothing and all you have is what you make of it. This is the one fundamental truth, the one reliable axiom. How cheap it sounds I know, but it is true. As trite as it is: the only constant in this world is fact that you can't count on anything. In my experience the first reaction of a person upon hearing this is to say "Oh come now, that's not true. There's..." At that point the individual in question will stand dumbstruck trying in vain to find a single certainty. Nothing is guaranteed and nothing is perfect. Even the common patterns and expectations we think we see are violated far too commonly to be seriously considered. Let me be clear that I am talking about this life, here on this earth. This is important to note in the face of the number one objection, that is, God. Certainly God is real and ever-present. As Christians we can be confident that will have a perfect eternal life after death. But what until then? What can we believe in for sure until then? We can we count on for our daily lives? The answer for the Christian is the same for the atheist: nothing. Of course the Bible makes promises, but they of the vague and self-fulfilling type or they are promises about the constant suffering of life. Take for instance the promise that if you "ask it will be given unto you." The barest of human experience will teach us that in fact not everything asked is given to us. Considering this fact and never wanting to deny the truth of Scripture, we mush conclude that this promise means something else that we are unable to understand. Obviously, it does not represent any kind of divide aid that we can rely on. Of course, God can and does help people. But not all people, all the time. Not even all Christians if the martyrs are any example. That's the thing about absolutes, it only takes one instance to negate them. We can count on God having a plan for us, but we cannot count on it being in the best interest of our earthly lives. So until we reach heaven, we cannot count of being rich or poor, married or single, successful or unsuccessful, loved or hated, happy or sad, healthy or in pain. We cannot be sure that things will stay the same, we cannot count on them changing at any time. We cannot be sure of any length of life. I cannot count on living to finish this passage. Surely in all lives some good and some bad thing will happen. Some people lead charmed lives into which little harm falls. Some live lives of sadness and suffering. The books of Job and Ecclesiasties make it clear to us that our power, money, wisdom, righteousness, or relationship to God have nothing to do with our happiness or circumstances. So there you have it, you can count on nothing except that bad things will happen to you and though God can help you, He makes no promise that He will do anything before you die. There is the nothing, the joy coming next...