When I walked through the door I knew something was up because my dog was sitting up in her cage as if she was shocked that I was home. The aroma in the air told me that I hadn't caught her preparing for a welcome home party so I slowly walked over to her cage hoping that I wouldn't see what I thought I'd see. I'll spare you the details but let me just say that this was NOT a pleasant surprise. I had worked all day, and even stayed around after for a meeting or two so I was certainly looking forward to a moment of rest only to find my companion stuck in the midst of a mess. Have you ever been there? Have you ever finished everything that you planned to do and here comes someone with a problem? You were just starting to get your finance & house where you wanted them to be and here comes someone reaching for a hand out. This can be an exceptionally frustrating experience because you didn't plan for this...so what do you do?
I remember a passage in the Bible when Jesus had left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon (Peter). The Bible says,
"At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. (Luke 4:40)"
Did you catch that? The people began to come to be healed at sunset, in other words when things could have been winding down for the night. So just when it seemed like it was time to relax "SURPRISE!" someone needed help. I find it interesting that Jesus' response was to lay his hands on them to heal them. Oh that we would do the same! When was the last time you stepped up to help someone when you could or even planned to have sat down? When was the last time you were willing to reach out to express love even though the timing was unexpected? I did so tonight. Sure it was "only a dog" but she needed me and I would like to think that this exercise in how to handle a surprise has prepared me to step up when the one needing help is a human. Bear with me, I'm still trying to get my spirits up from the ordeal.
When I saw her in her cage covered in calamity sure I was disturbed, who wouldn't be? But this was not the time for disgust it was time for deliverance and even though I may have been tired, I still had the time to clean up the mess she had made. If you would be honest I'm sure you have the time to help someone too. Maybe it's a family member who has fallen on hard times. Maybe it's a complete stranger who stepped out on faith hoping that you would step out with grace. I don't know who you have around you or who you will encounter in your daily walk but what I do know is that you are sure to walk into a surprise every now and again. When you do, I challenge you to step up & reach a hand out to help with a better attitude than I did (I'm still a work in progress). As we develop a willingness to help others even when it's inconvenient, I believe we position ourselves to serve as beacons of light for the world to see and in the process allow them to receive the best surprise of all (God has not forgotten them). Perhaps your biggest "surprises" are an opportunity to surprise others.
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