I love surprises, but hate to be surprised.  In the last few weeks I’ve had both the terrifying experience of being surprised (startled), and the incredible experience of surprising someone else.

It all started when my 16 year old decided to surprise me. I came home from work one day and he was hidden in my closet.  As I walked into my room, he stuck his head out and very simply said, “Hello Mother.”  I went ballistic, jumping 3 feet off the ground, screaming, and dare I say it…wetting my pants. (Yes, it’s true).  After sometime of complete panic, I calmed down enough to laugh hysterically with him about the whole scene.  Fast forward a couple of weeks to Halloween.  Deciding to get him back, I hid a 6foot tall Iron Man cardboard cutout in the shower.  When my son opened the curtain to get ready for his shower, there stood the intruder, scaring him so badly that he yelled and ran out of the bathroom terrified but also laughing.  His exact words were, “That’s not cool, mom!” Another session of gut wrenching laughter ensued. 

Surprises can be remarkable, but they can also be the things that terrify us and make us want to run (or wet our pants, I guess). 

The kinds of surprises we love to receive are the ones that bring us joy, make us feel loved; the kinds we love to give elicit the same for the receiver.  Don’t we love to see our kids’ faces light up when we’ve given them just the right surprise- a trip to see Sesame Street when they are 3 (one of my favorite memories with my boys), the perfect gift they thought they’d never get, a fully prepared Thanksgiving meal delivered to college when they can’t come home (a new idea for my oldest). 

But then there are those surprises that aren’t so great.  Our child wakes with a dangerously high fever, the school calls to say that our child may have broken an arm on the playground, someone we love is diagnosed with a scary disease, or even the simplest thing like the toilet overflowing can all be surprises we don’t want.

What occurs to me is that life is full of surprises- especially when it comes to our kids.  And what also occurs to me is that life would be really boring without them.  Yes, we’d all love not to be surprised by the things that scare, frustrate, or make our hearts ache, but if we didn’t have those lows, would we ever really experience the highs? 

Think about this…God can sometimes surprise us too. We have an awesome God who shows up even when we’ve forgotten to ask.  We have a Father who knows our needs before we put it on the wish list.  We have a God who is never surprised by our highs or lows because He is always prepared.  Our problems don’t surprise Him, but He can certainly surprise us with how He walks us through them, how He holds our hand, how He works all things – even the really awful things- together for good. 

I love surprises and I hate surprises.  Even so, I’m glad I am loved by a God that will never cease to be surprising; a God that doesn’t hide in the closet, but instead makes sure He is present when I’m scared, lonely, or just need a friend.  He is a God that doesn’t hide from me, but will hold and hide me in the palm of His hand.  Maybe it’s not so much that He surprises me, but more that He never ceases to amaze me. 

This Week’s Announcements:
Don’t miss our church-wide family Fall Festival and Chili Cook Off this Friday, November 8th.  There will be hayrides for the kids (or the kids at heart), hotdogs, games, a bonfire (S’mores, I hope!) and lots of yummy chili to sample.  Go to www.signupgenius.com and search under Kim Kremer’s email kim@stonebridgemarietta.org to sign up. 

What God is Teaching Us:
Follow the link below to see this past Sunday’s curriculum: 
This link is no longer available

Funny Things Kids Do and Say…
When one boy saw his friend being a little ‘lazy’ about playing a game, he tried to correct and entice his friend to participate by saying, “Stop being a bump on a pickle!”  (Maybe he knew more about pickles than logs-?)