A couple of summers ago I decided I wanted to read through every Nicholas Sparks novel. Well, not every Nicholas Sparks novel. I wanted to read every novel that did not end in a main character’s death or the permanent separation of the lead couple. With that in mind, I googled the endings of all of the novels and made a list of the ones with happy endings.

This is not unusual for me. In fact, I am well known by my friends and family as the person who reads the last page of a book before the first. I am also known for spoiling the endings for people who are not as proactive as me. (To my high school sophomore English class: I apologize, once again.)

I have been this way for as long as I can remember, and I’m pretty sure it has to do with my extreme dislike of surprises. What’s even worse than surprises, though, is knowing that I’m going to be surprised but not knowing when or how. I need to know everything that is going to happen and when it is going to happen, or I may very well go crazy.

If I were to try and dig deeper and be all philosophical, I could probably say that my hatred of surprises stems from my intense fear of disappointment. If I know everything that’s going to happen, I can prepare myself for both the best and the worst case scenarios.

Unfortunately, I can’t always get my way. Sometimes surprises sneak up on me, and I have to learn to adjust. This has gotten easier with time, but I am still no expert. I can clearly remember the day, a couple of summers ago, that I started to read Message in a Bottle, the one Nicholas Sparks book that I didn’t bother looking up (I thought the plotline was too similar to The Lucky One). A friend had told me that it was really good, but she couldn't remember if anyone died. I gave it the benefit of the doubt and started to read.

So there I was, sitting in my living room, reading the book. As I got further and further in, I started to pick up on some possible foreshadowing (and not the good kind). Starting to panic, I flipped through the book to read ahead…

Now, for those of you with a desire to read Message in a Bottle, I will not say what happens. But let me just say that it wasn’t good. As soon as I read the words that I had been trying to avoid that whole summer, I threw the book across the room. How could this happen?? Why would Nicholas Sparks do that?? HOW??? WHY?? I was not prepared for that to happen. I felt completely and utterly helpless and disappointed.

What my little Nicholas Sparks mishap taught me, though, was that it’s impossible for me to always be prepared. I know that it's just a book, but sometimes my desire for spoilers sneaks into my everyday life, whether or not I want it to. What's different between life and books, though, is that it’s impossible for me to know everything that is going to happen in life. I am no mind reader and I can't predict the future. I definitely can't google what's going to happen. That leaves me stuck in the present and vulnerable to any unexpected situation that may come my way.

I don't have to be entirely unprepared, though. I have learned that each new situation I face is an opportunity to apply what I've learned from situations past. As life takes its twists and turns, I can remain hopeful by knowing that no matter what, I will never be left abandoned and helpless. After all, I've got the best Father in the universe by my side! I may not know every little detail of my life, but He sure does, and He's looking out for me in ways that I can't do for myself.

Does this mean I'm going to stop spoiling the endings of books and movies? Probably not. What it does mean, though, is that there is no spoiler alert for life. There is, however, an awesome Father who will protect you and comfort you when life throws you those curveballs.