surprise

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD , "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.    Jeremiah 29:11

Do you like surprises? Some do, some don't. My husband, not too much. He likes a plan and knowing what comes next. When he had one of the big mile-marker birthdays, I gave him a big surprise party and that's how I found out. 

Several years ago I heard a message by Lloyd Ogilvie, who later became chaplain of the United States Senate. It was about a surprise party he had been given. At first, he was upset, because he viewed it as one more interruption in his plans for that day.

Later, after he'd thought about it, he realized that's what life is: a series of interruptions. Kind of like God saying, "Surprise!" 

We make plans, God laughs. Life goes on, with our schedules being continuously interrupted. All the while, Jehovah "Surprise" has unexpected plans for us, plans for our good.

So next time things don't go quite the way I'd planned and expected, perhaps if I listen I will hear God's voice whispering, "Surprise!!"

-sally kennedy