Days 1 till...well, now.
Missed out on the first week of "Surprise Me, God" because I was in Florida babysitting my 21-month-old nephew. At the time, didn't even know I was supposed to be looking for surprises from the Lord, but managed to get a few of them anyway. For one, I got a new name. I'm not "Aunt Beth," as you might think - just "B!" As in, "Gogo, B!" (yelled at red lights while sitting in the car) or "Up, B!" (when hoping to be picked up and held). Connor knew that calling out "B!" would usually end up with him getting what he wanted - although sometimes B had to wait for the light to turn green before she could actually "gogo." Reminded me that when we call out to God, He hears us -- and answers. Holding Connor, I was reminded of how much I love my baby brother -- who is now 6'4" and Connor's dad -- and of how much God loves me, and that He will always answer when I call on His name. His answer might come more slowly than I hoped, or be different from what I thought it might be - but He knows what's next in our lives, even when we don't.
God surprised me with several things that week - a new name, a new appreciation for my own kids (at 8 1/2, thankfully, waaaay past diapers, sippy cups and all that), and the simple fact that I was glad to be coming home at the end of the week. Three years ago, I'd have told you that I'd never think of Abilene as "home" - but it is. I may have spent almost 30 years in one city, 17 hours from here, and that will always be my "hometown" -- but my home is here. My husband and our children are here. My old friends, my old church, the real UT - they're all in Tennessee, but that's not home anymore. I hope I can have the same longing for "home" when I think about eternity in Heaven, and to do His will while I'm here. I don't know exactly what God has planned for me, but over the past couple of years I've figured out that His plans don't include sitting around and wishing for things to be like they were in the past. I can just hear God -- Surprise, I moved you to a new place, even when you cried and wailed and tried your best to stay. Surprise, I made you wait over a year to find a best friend here - but then I gave you a sister of the heart. Surprise, I gave you a new ministry. Surprise...I'm not finished with you yet, not by a long shot. (I'm beginning to realize that God's been surprising me for a long time now -- glad to know He always will.)
Trying to remember to ask God to surprise me each day. Some days this week I feel like I've missed Him somehow, and other days I think He surprised me with some little, kind of insignificant things that still reminded me how much He loves me. Finding a parking spot close to the door on a freezing cold day when I forgot my coat...starting my weekly Bible study homework waaaay too late but getting it all finished AND seeing what He wanted me to learn from it...I've already written too much for one entry so won't go on. Appreciate Jerris and Joe for bringing the "Surprise Me" experiment to us...thanks, guys. (And John, thanks to you too...know those two wouldn't get much done without you there.) Can't wait to see what God has in store for tomorrow...and the next day, and the next. As baby Connor might say, "Gogo, God" -- let the adventure continue.
God surprised me with several things that week - a new name, a new appreciation for my own kids (at 8 1/2, thankfully, waaaay past diapers, sippy cups and all that), and the simple fact that I was glad to be coming home at the end of the week. Three years ago, I'd have told you that I'd never think of Abilene as "home" - but it is. I may have spent almost 30 years in one city, 17 hours from here, and that will always be my "hometown" -- but my home is here. My husband and our children are here. My old friends, my old church, the real UT - they're all in Tennessee, but that's not home anymore. I hope I can have the same longing for "home" when I think about eternity in Heaven, and to do His will while I'm here. I don't know exactly what God has planned for me, but over the past couple of years I've figured out that His plans don't include sitting around and wishing for things to be like they were in the past. I can just hear God -- Surprise, I moved you to a new place, even when you cried and wailed and tried your best to stay. Surprise, I made you wait over a year to find a best friend here - but then I gave you a sister of the heart. Surprise, I gave you a new ministry. Surprise...I'm not finished with you yet, not by a long shot. (I'm beginning to realize that God's been surprising me for a long time now -- glad to know He always will.)
Trying to remember to ask God to surprise me each day. Some days this week I feel like I've missed Him somehow, and other days I think He surprised me with some little, kind of insignificant things that still reminded me how much He loves me. Finding a parking spot close to the door on a freezing cold day when I forgot my coat...starting my weekly Bible study homework waaaay too late but getting it all finished AND seeing what He wanted me to learn from it...I've already written too much for one entry so won't go on. Appreciate Jerris and Joe for bringing the "Surprise Me" experiment to us...thanks, guys. (And John, thanks to you too...know those two wouldn't get much done without you there.) Can't wait to see what God has in store for tomorrow...and the next day, and the next. As baby Connor might say, "Gogo, God" -- let the adventure continue.
posted by Beth at 3:42 PM
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