The old timers in my childhood often used a word I never understood. The word was “Providence.” My people could not articulate the meaning of this particular word because it had more than two syllables.
Also, it really is a difficult word to define. Even now, when researching this column I couldn’t find a concrete definition of Providence. One dictionary said one thing, another website called the word “archaic.” Today the term is so outdated that if you’re a younger person reading this I’ve probably already lost you.
So I’ll explain it’s meaning by telling you how the word was invoked by the rural people of my youth.
Okay. Let’s say there was no rain, the world was crackling and dry, and no farmers were making money from crops. It wasn’t “bad luck.” It was all part of heavenly Providence.
And when the rain finally began to fall; also Providence.
When two people fell in love? Providence.
If someone got cancer and died, people prayed for the family to receive solace in Providence.
Job promotion? Providence.
Finding
$20 in your coat pocket? Major Providence.
My people, you see, did not believe in good luck, coincidences, or even flashy miracles. It was all Providence.
To them life was like a trapeze act. Mankind was always swinging recklessly from trapezes, back and forth. Sometimes man fell, sometimes he didn’t. Either way, there was a divine reason for everything, good and bad. You weren’t supposed to know the reason. That’s Providence.
Thus we did not believe in accidents, happenstances, mistakes, flub-ups, or oversights. Neither did you merely “bump into a neighbor” at the supermarket. It was all meant to be. Mapped out ahead of time. Heaven was not an indifferent observer, but an active participant in your life. Providence.
The reason I bring this up is because I received a letter from a young woman who I will call Rebecca. She is undergoing…