Friday, June 6, 2014

Surprise!

"If God knows everything, then He never gets to be surprised." This is my daughter expressing sadness over what she feels is one of life's greatest pleasures: the feeling of surprise!

She loves surprises. She loves unexpected little gifts and friends arriving unannounced. She loves it most when I say, "I have a wonderful surprise for you." Maybe it's a treat I've baked or a new book I've found for her that's hiding under her pillow. Maybe it's a movie I've rented or a special event I've planned.

Her love language is surprises. She loves them so much that I try to create a few each week.

"Doesn't God ever get that feeling?" she wonders. "He doesn't, does He?"

I think about this today as I smile with joy at the red ripe strawberry in the patch. I knew it was coming all along (just like it has the past four years), but each time, it's a delight. Each time, it's astonishing and wonderful. Some things are just so beautiful that it doesn't matter if you know they're coming. It's deeper and better than surprise; it's wonder and worship.

But I'm still thinking about this.


I'm thinking about how much a child loves surprises. Then I'm thinking about how much I absolutely love creating the perfect surprise for this child. I've grown up into the person who loves surprising instead of receiving surprises, so maybe that's part of God's character. There's more joy in making the surprise than getting it.

This makes me wonder how God must be fashioning the perfect surprise for you right this moment. You have no idea it's coming, but it's coming. You have no idea what it will be, but it's going to be so amazing that you'll be simply astonished all day.

It's coming!



2 comments:

Carla said...

I *love* this. Perfect.

allison said...

When I was young I got sad thinking God didn't really get to laugh - He wouldn't laugh at someone else's expense, and He knows all the punchlines and the witty things we are going to say, so how could He ever really belly laugh? In a way, this helps!