The Big Boo Surprise.
Sunday was a day that had few surprises, and I think that was a good thing. Worship was normal and fun, I got a chance to relax in the afternoon, I took a nap and was asleep for longer than expected, and we went out to dinner with a bunch of friends, some of which I haven't seen in a long time. One of these friends is Boo. He is a great guy and someone you can easily talk to and be great friends with. He is a kind hearted man and I enjoy his company greatly. As it turns out Boo is going to be in the twin cities for quite some time. This is good news because it always seems like he is on the move. On top of that he is living with a friend who lives all of 200 yards away from Heather and I up the Mississippi River. It looks like I will get to see more of him that I thought and this is a nice surprise.
The other surprise I had today came in the form of a realization. As I was driving home from church I was thinking about this surprise me God experiment and realized that on Saturday, the day of craziness, I did not pray the surprise me God prayer. I think I willingly resisted the prayer because I did not want any surprises on this day. There were too many factors on Saturday that could warrant a bad surprise and I wanted everything to go smoothly.
Now I am no Doctor of Theology, but I have been known to tinker with thoughts on God and I am fairly certain that I can not turn God's will on an off whenever I please. I can't say to the Man upstairs which day is best to do His work on and which is not. But I found myself doing it any way.
In my youth ministry I have found that this is a common thought among teens today. That God is there, but only when they need Him. What does that say about God? Is He our pet or a slave? I'm guessing there is some sense of independence going on here. "I am old enough to drive, make my own choices and thanks God for the help in the past but I will let you know when I need you next." That really bums me out. I hope and pray that God is not viewed only as a consumer product you can call up on the hotline when it works into your schedule or when a disaster in your life has occurred. That is not God. God's love is not something you can turn on and off. God loves you 24-7, 100% of the time. God rejoices in your success and pulls you closer when you fail. God cares for you and is the most reliable person in your life. God will never fail you.
So where does that put me? The person who chose not to include God in Saturday? Does it put me in the same boat? Realizing later in the day that it would be a good thing to do, I took a few moments and prayed for the rest of the day to be successful, for the youth to stay warm outside, for the tune-up to go well and for a God lead day. Rather than the prayer surprise me, I went with something more specific. Something to the point and more conversation like. It felt good to know that God was there with me. It was reassuring to know God knew what I felt and cared about. It felt good turning it over to God and letting Him take it from there.
I hope you can do the same.
dain
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