FEY: intro / by M. Dionne Ward

The ability to see into the future is something that no one is supposed to have. It has been said that some people are bestowed with this gift, but it is written in the Bible that no man knows the future of himself or anyone else. I find that the future is a troubling concept for most people, simply because it is an unknown, and will always be an unknown. This can be met with understanding, frustration and at the extreme, suicide. However, there are ways to calculate the probability that things will occur. You see this with weather forecasts, sales projections and the like. We are able to view the past and notice patterns, and the future becomes a little clearer. Yet, even with all of our calculations and forecasts, we can never be one hundred percent certain of anything.

I cannot see into the future, and I don’t know if I’d want to. The beauty of living, in my opinion, comes from that unknown. It’s about all of the beautiful surprises that occur along the way that lend life its mystery. I love that God gave us free will. And with that comes all the possibilities for all sorts of wonderful beginnings and endings and everything that comes in between. I am grateful that I can recognize this, and I find comfort in it. It gives me the hope I need to make it through the days. For even though I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, I know that God wants only the best for us all. I can accept that and trust in Him.

I chose the word “fey” because it has so many definitions, and all of them point to different aspects of my life and how I would like to live my life. The first definition from above reads “able to see into the future”. Now, as I said before, I don’t want to see into the future, but as I study what is happening in the world today, I can see how the future will be. I will explain. As society continues its spiral downward, the future looks quite bleak. There is trouble in the world. Even so, God has said that, “In the world you shall have tribulation. But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.” This verse lends me hope. So the world continues as it is, and I can see the hatred overwhelming the planet. I can see the weather patterns changing, and the chill in the air is like death. Global warming. The AIDS virus. War. Prejudice. Injustice. It is frightening to know that if everything does not change, we could destroy ourselves. This is what “able to see into the future” means to me. This is nothing uncommon, you see. As Christians, we all should be able to interpret the signs.