The Fog

You've driven down this street hundreds of times before, and at the end of it is your house, your home. It's usually the same time of day, and the same lights are usually on when you pull up to the front. Usually it's the same family members who are home. And they're in an expected mood. It is your routine. It is one of the things you are most sure about in your life.

This is your personal experience. Others around you have a routine, may be different from yours, but is repetitive in itself.

Last night I was driving home. The residue of the rain created a nearly opaque wall of fog, misting itself around light posts and thinning when approached. I know 157th street like the back of my hand, but last night, the darkness and lack of visibility made me question the end. After years of knowing my house is waiting for me on the other side, I still questioned it. What if there is no home there? I can't see anything. There could be a pitfall for all I know. Or some hounds like Mr. Burns' waiting to attack, grizzly and real. Even the thought of an endless nothingness crossed my mind. What if my car simply began to drift, away from gravity, into the fog, deeper and deeper into the density.

That was my heart. Speaking to my mind. My own dose of Fear of the Unknown. Which in this case is odd, because I have knowledge of what is at the end. I know for a fact my home is waiting for me. I just spoke with my mother on the phone so she too is home. I know this, but my heart tried to play tricks on my mind.

Why am I ranting about a single experience that probably happened to any reader who doesn't live in a place suffering from a famine? Because that night, last night, revealed an overlooked truth.

Every time hardship strikes, we initially forget about the surety of God's existence. We forget that with hardship comes ease. We focus on the fog. Short-sighted, only reflecting on the next few inches coming at us instead of the final destination of the 100-mile long stretch. And most of us have gone through more than one hardship, and no matter how tragic our individual experiences were, we have seen the fruits of them. Yet, when a new hardship strikes, when God tests us anew, it's as if we believe the fog has always been there, and we forget to instill the logical knowledge from our past experiences into our current state of mind, and into our hearts. And if we have not reached resolutions in past experiences, we are or should have a still spirit, knowing your reward is coming later. Because that means you are still on your road.
God always guides you on your street, always shows you the way, even though you may not see it, having faith grounded in knowing the logical reality is a weapon against the darkest of times.

I promise you, the fog will lift. It may seem like forever and a day, but it will. Even if only a miracle can accomplish it. After all, everyday gifts from God, the ones that don't seem miraculous, are only miracles that are comprehensible to our minds.

My friend, when you find yourself travelling and your path becomes foggy, turn on your fog lights and pull through. For Allah is always present.