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not what I expected


2 Corinthians 1:9 (NLT)
In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.

Life would be boring if we always got or experienced what we expected.  Yet everyday we deal with the unexpected.  These are the things that make life an adventure, and yes, it can make life difficult.  Faith is what allows us to deal with the things we experience.  Trusting God makes life possible.

Getting ready for our ministry at Martinsville Speedway this weekend with Raceway Ministries, I looked across the road and noticed a deer where many people were walking.  I didn’t expect a deer in such a congested area.
 
This afternoon I was leaving the church and on the way to pick up one of our children at school.  I didn’t expect for Donnie to come by the church at this time.  Donnie has been attending The Community for more than a month.  He needed food, and it was a blessing to be able to help him and his brother John.  Yet this was not what I expected.

We dropped our oldest daughter off at the school this evening for the winter guard parent performance, and we noticed a large amount of smoke not far away.  The rest of the family was going to dinner, but we went to see where the smoke was coming from.  An old furniture factory was totally engulfed in fire.  That is not what we expected.  The heat from the fire was incredible and the damage was happening minute by minute.  This is not a sight you see every day.

All of these events happened in a short period of time.  Some seem important while others aren’t that big of a deal, but each piece made this an interesting day.  I don’t need to share any more details with you in this post, yet I ask that you examine the difference between what you expect and what you experience.

God uses these moments.  He teaches us to trust Him through each one.  There is more to this life than setting our calendar by what we need to do or the things we can predict.  Allow God to use the moments marked by this simple thought: not what I expected.

Ecclesiastes 7:13 (NASB)
Consider the work of God, For who is able to straighten what He has bent?

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