Aug 12th, 2021: Understanding Surprises

 

Sometimes we are delighted by surprises. Sometimes we are baffled by them. Life is full of surprises as we tell one another. We perceive something as a surprise because we didn't anticipate it. Sometimes we don't think we deserve it. It is a surprise because it is outside our control.


We are surprised by God because our imagination of what God can do is limited. We have not learned how to dream His dreams. Our struggles and fear limit our dreams. Sometimes we can't dream because we feel dead inside. Maybe we will dream better when we are free from our sorrow self.


We are surprised by God because we are afraid to ask. Sometimes we don't have the faith to do so. When a relationship is not meaningful, we are not quite sure what to expect. We don't always experience the essence of our relationships with God. When He decides to show up in our lives, we don't know how to respond.


We are surprised because we are fighting against His work within us. We act like a teenager who doesn't want mom or dad to help him (her) clean up the room. We don't want God to know who we are or what we are treasuring because He might not be in that picture. Cleaning up our souls is a messy exercise, and it brings about many surprises.



Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us. — Ephesians 3:20

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