Surprise!
Surprise!
I’m looking forward to surprising my wife for Christmas! I just went shopping for her and found a great gift, and I think it’s really cute. That’s not just my opinion; the two young sales gals immediately agreed with me. In fact, they enthusiastically said they’d love to have it themselves!
I can hardly wait for Linda to see her surprise, but she’s not the only one. I’m on mission right now to surprise a few other people as well; in fact, that’s my daily prayer: “Lord, help me to live on high alert to Advent surprises and to be an agent of them!
Surprises don’t have to be expensive; by definition, they just have to be unexpected. Surprise and Christmas go hand in glove. The first Christmas came as a surprise to everyone. Certainly, the shepherds were stunned with the angelic news that changed the world forever.
Most surprises aren’t world-changing; however, they can be atmosphere-changing. Don’t you love it when Amazon or anyone drops something unexpected off at your door? I just got that notice, and I can hardly wait to open it! Well, our friend Oswald Chambers says, “Always be in a state of expectancy … be ready for the surprise visits of God.”
Expectancy is good, expectation can be dangerous. Too often in life, we are victimized by our own unrealistic or at least unrealized expectations. When I was eight years old, I only wanted one present for Christmas: a punching bag. When my dream gift wasn’t under the Christmas tree, I was devastated and almost felt like punching a wall out of frustration. There was no way for me to hide my disappointment. I acted like a little jerk. I wish that was the last time.
Expectations can ruin a lot - even relationships. It’s been said that the typical man expects too much from his wife. He is seeking a composite of Mother Teresa, Madonna, and Martha Stewart. Then, when she falls short of his expectations, either in the kitchen or the bedroom, he struggles to find joy in her character and commitment. It’s just a matter of time before our expectations collide with reality. By contrast, when we lighten up on specifics, it’s easier to appreciate the simple surprises of life and the God-kissed moments that happen every day.
I regularly ask all the leaders I mentor the same question: “What are you discovering?” I never cease to be delighted with the simple insights they are receiving and the life lessons they are learning or relearning. Rarely do they see it coming; it’s typically unexpected. That’s part of the joy.
Here’s how Mark Buchanan puts it in his book Your God Is Too Safe. “Our lives should be lived with expectancy. Not necessarily with expectation because expectation tends to dictate terms. The Pharisees lived with expectation and rejected Christ when He did not fit the rigid narrowness of their expectations. Often, I wonder if we, waiting for Christ’s return, do it more with expectation than expectancy. Expectancy is the belief that God will do something. Expectation insists He does it just this way. Sometimes expectation blinds us more to the God who is here right now than outright disbelief does.”
I’m trying to live more on alert to the surprises of God - especially this month. In addition, I’m praying that God will use me to surprise a few others, and I’m confident that my wife is going to be among them. However, not all good things arrive when we’d like them to.
Some of the best gifts don’t arrive until AFTER Christmas day! Did you know that the same was true on the first Christmas? As I write this, I see a small set of figurines that Linda placed on my desk. They’re just one of many in our house inaccurately depicting the wise men, or magi, celebrating the arrival of Jesus right along with the shepherds and animals. I say inaccurately because the only place in Scripture where the three magi are noted comes in Matthew 2:11. By the time they finally arrived with their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, Jesus and his parents were then settled in a house!
That may encourage you if you’ve yet to receive all of your anticipated gifts! Did you hear about the lady who, in the rush of last-minute Christmas shopping, bought a box of 50 identical greeting cards? Without bothering to read the verse, she hastily signed and addressed all but one of the cards. Then, several days later, after mailing all of the rest, she came across the extra one and was horrified to read, “This Christmas card is just to say, a little gift is on the way!”
The truth is that some of God’s good gifts are still to arrive in the future. And that’s okay. We all need something to look forward to. I have numerous things still to anticipate, and I trust that the same is true for you. I just hope you won’t be disappointed if one of those things yet to arrive isn’t actually an extravagant gift such as gold, frankincense, or myrrh… or even a little gift from me!
May you enjoy this Christmas by living with a special sense of expectancy that God is doing something around you and that He is even seeking to do the surprising through you!
Merry Expectancy,
Alan Ahlgrim
Chief Soul Care Officer
Covenant Connections
Grace & Peace,
