Friday, January 1, 2016

when God surprises you

Hm. It feels weird not typing the "Today's readings" here. But that's part of today's lesson from C.S. Lewis. So it makes sense.

Just a reminder - today I started with January 1 in the book "A Year with C.S. Lewis", which you can buy as an e-book from B&N for $2.99. And now, without further ado...

Lewis talks to us today about how shocking it can be when we realize that God is really THERE. That we're not just making Him up. We're not inventing Him. That's why some of the things He tells us can be a little embarrassing to tell people. Mary had a child while she was a virgin? Jesus came back to life? He's going to come again one day and take us all to heaven?

Those all sound crazy. Anyone inventing a self-respecting religion would definitely NOT choose those elements. They stretch our ability to believe... to the breaking point.

And God isn't through surprising us, is He? I know He surprises me all of the time in my life. It's an unsettling feeling, because we LIKE control. We like knowing what's coming, and being able to say yes or no to our future. The fact that God might throw us for a loop and send us on some kind of adventure... well, it reminds me of the Hobbits in the Lord of the Rings stories. They liked the comfortable. They didn't like the adventures that Gandalf sent them on. It disrupted things.

And God does that with us. He disrupts our carefully planned, organized, calm, boring little lives. He sends us on adventures.

And we're so much better for it.

God, thank You for surprising us. Please help us to trust You more, so we can enjoy those adventures so much more.

3 comments:

Marcia Tapp said...

I'm going on an adventure!

Julie said...

2016 is a huge adventure for us. Trip to Rome in April and a complete change in our lives, wow.

HappyGrama said...

Yes, He does give us adventures in our lives. It is essential to recognize Him in those adventures, and to be pliable and open to His guidance, because some of those adventures are painful. Prayer is the link.