William Willimon, the Chaplain at DukeUniversity, tells of a woman who, with her family had begun to attend his church. Quoting him, he says, "She attended our church when her family vacationed at the coast. She said she had begun attending our church a number of years before because it was the only church on the beach where a black person could feel welcomed. This pleased me. She had had a difficult life and had experienced first hand oppression, tragedy, and hate. One summer she arrived with her family and, when I visited her, she told me the previous year had been tough. Her beloved husband of many years had died a terrible and painful death. Her only son had been incarcerated after a sleazy banking deal went bad. Now she had taken in her two little grandchildren as her sole responsibility, even though she was now getting on in years. 

As I visited her, I felt this overwhelming sense of futility. What would become of her now? How could she hope to overcome her difficulties? 

Yet she, expressing faith born no doubt out of years of struggle and pain, said to me, "I know God will make a way for us. I've found that when I've reached out, he'll be there. Not always when I wanted him, but always when I absolutely needed him. He doesn't always come on time, but he always comes.  I'll make it, with his help, yes I will." 

Without thinking I exclaimed, "How can this be? You've got these two children, huge financial problems, your health isn't great. After all you've been through?" 

How can this be? It was my learned, "Tish, tish, old lady. You've got to face facts, be realistic." 

But how did I know? How could I be so sure that that woman's calm, confident trust, trust affirmed in so many places in scripture, was stupidity? Maybe she is right. Maybe God's life-giving abilities can't be contained in my little box labeled "POSSIBLE" next to the big one called "IMPOSSIBLE"? 

Maybe she is right. The wind blows where it will."