Let God Surprise You in 2020
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Many people who follow my posts know that I met my husband on a snowy night in a small rural town in Wisconsin.
He worked as a case manager training people with disabilities to enter the work force and I was a teacher in the local school district. Our paths would never have crossed had it not been for God's creative planning. Looking back, I am convinced that we only became man and wife because God surprised us with an unexpected situation. Let me explain.
My hubby was perfectly happy to be single. He did want to marry at some point but was not making any intentional plans to seek out a spouse. In fact, a few people in his social circle discouraged him from leaving the single life too quickly. Thus, he frequented the "local" establishments with his friends and enjoyed the company of many people.
I, on the other hand, wanted to find a spouse. I had preconceived notions of who he would be and how I would meet him. My plan was to patiently wait for God to put the "man of my dreams" into my life in a proper and romantic way (at Church, at work, or as I volunteered) at which point he would immediately fall in love with me. I also had decided to overlook any overtures from men who didn't fit my ideal.
Though we were both practicing Catholics, with similar family situations, we were (and still are) distinctly different in most aspects of life. Jeff loves to socialize. Me—not so much. Jeff laughs easily in almost every situation. It takes effort for me to see humor in the flow of life. Jeff can be spontaneous. I prefer to plan. Jeff is more comfortable dealing with surface issues. I like the deep dive.
It is likely that Jeff and I would never have met much less fallen in love if God had let us live the plans and intentions we had designed.
Work wouldn't have brought us together. Our interests and personalities wouldn't have brought us together. Even our faith practices wouldn't have crossed our paths because he went to one parish and I attended Mass at another.
The only reason we met and fell in love is because God wanted us to. He created a snowy cold night that would cancel school for me the next day. This gave me permission to go out with my roommate, and Jeff an opportunity to party. God brought both of our social circles to the same bar. He gave me the confidence to go up and talk to Jeff—a complete stranger. He put a crease in Jeff's non-committal heart to consider long term possibilities.
In short, God set the stage for us to meet and explore a life as husband and wife. His surprise invited us to enter into the mystery of love. He astonished us in a way that we unexpectedly stepped away from what we wanted towards His plan for us.
Jeff and I have mused over the years about our meeting. We agree that God's adventure for us has been more compelling and attractive than anything we could have imagined. We are grateful that we opened our hearts that evening to hear His call to love each other.
How can you prepare yourself to be surprised by God? Here are a few suggestions.
- Stop working your plan. That's right. Suspend your scheming and strategies. They reduce your capacity to see what God wants you to see.
- Allow yourself to go with the flow. Become comfortable with spontaneity.
- Reflect on this point: what you don't know—what you are not comfortable with—might be good for you.
- Stop over thinking every situation. Don't worry about what should happen. Be present to what does happen.
- Humbly pray for the courage to be surprised by God.
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