Scripture: Luke 11:14 (the Message)
Jesus delivered a man from a demon that had kept him speechless. The demon gone, the man started talking a blue streak, taking the crowd by complete surprise.
Thought for the Day: Henri Nouwen wrote,
Each day holds a surprise. But only if we expect it can we see, hear, or feel it when it comes to us. Let’s not be afraid to receive each day’s surprise, whether it comes to us as sorrow or as joy – it will open a new place in our hearts, a place where we can welcome new friends and celebrate more fully our shared humanity.
There are so many happenings in life that come to us as a surprise – causing good or bad, producing joy or anger. Surprise requires something beyond the expected, yet Nouwen suggests we should expect the unexpected. But if it is expected, is it really a surprise? It can be when we refuse to allow our narrow expectations to limit our capacity to see what God might be doing. How often has our awareness been numbed to the point of missing the God-thing entirely. Or maybe the surprise is less about the initial event, and more with what God was able to do with it…even when the event is painful and not of God.
Prayer: Create within me an openness to what you, O Lord, are doing in the world. Though I do not seek to guess what you are going to do or attempt to direct what you will do, I am expecting a surprise and I promise to e surprised. Amen.
See You Tomorrow
