Serendipity | Story of my Life

3 minutes

Serendipity: the effect by which one accidentally stumbles upon something truly wonderful, especially while looking for something entirely unrelated -let it find you. 

I’m often inspired by my husband’s story, how he saw a picture of me and by faith got on a plane to fly from the US to Belgium to court me -the audacity of such an act! He says it was a Hail Mary move, and I love him the more for it. His valiancy was in coming to ‘get’ me and my act of valiance was in giving up my rather comfortable life to follow him off to foreign lands. He has since been both my home and my greatest adventure. 

Such are the mysteries of life, that we often stumble into that which we need while we are looking for something else altogether, completely unrelated. Time and time again, that has been the story of my life. This is why I advocate so strongly for measured risk-taking.  I don’t know what is worth having in life that does not involve risk in getting it. 

Everything requires an act of courage -asking the girl to dance, even saying yes to the dance. You’re looking for friendship and you find love. Looking for a job and you stumble into a career. Seeking to escape a barren life, you land on the most fertile soil. That was my story too when I returned to Belgium in 2015. I went back to rest, but what I found instead was a new career. Seeking one thing, finding another, totally unrelated -serendipity…  

Life is full of mysteries like this, the sacred scripts are replete with such stories. No one can say your story is done until your creator does. Don’t be the one to write yourself off prematurely, something we tend to do a lot when we walk by sight. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your path. He will order your steps. He will enlarge your territory and set your feet on solid ground. 

Serendipity -looking for one thing and finding another instead; the stories we all could tell… There’s joy in being open to adventure, to going places with an open heart and an open mind. Willing to be taught, to gain a new perspective. Unlearning some things in order to learn others. Listening more than speaking. Observing more than judging. Seeking to understand more than wanting to dispute, extending an olive branch instead of going to war, giving the benefit of the doubt instead of accusing. 

When nothing is certain, anything is possible. Trust the process. Trust the wait. Learn to trust the journey even when you don’t understand it. Embrace the uncertainty. Enjoy the beauty of becoming. Serendipity will happen -let it find you. And when it’s all finished, you will discover it was never random. Cheers, Helena ღ