We never know how long rain will last. It can come and go within minutes. Cancelling an afternoon ballgame due to a morning sprinkle might mean missing out on one of the sunniest afternoons all year.
God disguises His best parties by making it look like they will need a rain check. Sometimes, the party is at home on the rainy day because rainy days actually do happen. But, they don’t always happen. In fact, making it look like it will rain just before—well, just before it doesn’t rain… Think about it. That builds suspense.
Good performing artists will spend a minute or two boring an audience before pulling out the best act all night. This makes for a very entertaining show, notwithstanding that it proves the performer has excellent showmanship. That performer knows what is boring and what is worth watching and isn’t afraid to perform either, just to show that the performer knows best.
A hike in the mountains may seem the most boring just before the summit. Spelunking in caves is 90% boredom and 1% awe—the remaining 9% is spent wondering whether the trip was worth it and likes to come just before the 1% proving that it was.
That doubt—that feeling that you’re in the wrong place—it almost has a mind of its own. It will sneak up on you, trying to make you miss out on the best life offers. It will make you want to get up and leave before the best speaker takes the stage or run to get a hot dog just before the batter smacks it out of the park. That boredom almost has an artificial intelligence trying to game everyone into missing out, protecting the last doorway of the adventure with a sad jester preaching a fake message of despair. “There’s no hope,” he whimpers behind crocodile tears. “I thought I would find it, but opening that door ruined my life and now look at me.”
God put those jesters there to protect His treasures, reserving His best for those who know when to keep watching, long after the crowds think the show is over and everyone has left the theater.