"Find a need and fill it. Find a hurt and heal it."
I needed some guidance today. Naturally, I found someone able to provide it. You say, "What? Did you ask God first?" Well, yes, of course I did. Sometimes, however, you need to hear the answer audibly. Sometimes, the answer God would give can be delivered through someone else. That's how the Bible was written, right? Inspired words -- written by men, coming from God.
I've been working through the Surprise Me experiment and trying to get a better grasp on what I should be doing with my life and I think the definition of surprise is too vague. Let me clarify it. A surprise to a kid is like a gift or a trick played on halloween, something unexpected. A surprise to a teen may be hearing from a friend they grew up with, maybe played the halloween tricks on, something unexpected. (Be nice to the nerds, they may be your boss someday!) A surprise to adults suddenly seems too unusal. Adults don't play with toys and by this time they have usually either become reaquiainted with their childhood frineds or the friends have become long lost in time and space. But it's still at it's root something unexpected. What surprises you? I am learning now that a surprise from God is not something that you didn't know, or something you couldn't have figured out on your own, but something that came at a different time than you expected, or with a different importance. It's about expectations.
We expect God to be loving, kind and gentle. Also, He is just and wise. He knows everything and knows everywhere. He can see your heart. He can see your intentions. We expect these things. What I haven't expected was how he would blend His traits and knowledge to reveal things to me about the simplicity of everyday life. Look at the little things. Then glance at the big picture. If you look at it from the right perspective and with the right expectations, you see that they are very similar. It makes it easier to deal with problems when you try to imagine why God chose for you to experience them. Keeping in mind, of course, that we can cause enough trouble on our own without His help. Then, when He does bring something our way -- a surprise -- for better or for worse, it's not something too great for us to handle. He will always make a way to escape. Sometimes I ignore the exit sign for His escape: like driving at night with the headlights off. Turn them on and look for the sign. You only have to stay on the highway long enough to learn from God or give others time to learn from God, then take the next exit. If you want to stay on and go the extra mile, there's more to be learned. It would be good for you and I to consult God's GPS so that we can get a better idea of how to get to His destination. Sometimes, it's not a bad Idea to stop and ask for directions.
Surprise.
The mailman was kind enuogh to deliver a couple of books I've been wanting to read. "Blue Like Jazz" by Donald Miller and "Blue Collar God / White Collar God" by Terry Esau. I'm ready to dive in. I'll let you know how it goes.