Surprises

Every once in awhile, a surprise, sometimes a small one, leaps up at us as a reminder that "mystery" is part of our human existence, and the we cannot always be confident predictors of the future.  Such a surprise caught me this morning when an e-mail from Bujumbura, Burundi, informed me that a "Christmas Present" I had mailed on December 27th had finally arrived, almost 8 months after it had been mailed. I had inquired at the post office several times, and the final verdict was, "it's gone." So I let it go, thinking I can make another print and bring it to them on my next visit sometime in the next five years. Now, I can let go of that plan. Where the package  went for those 8 months...perhaps several times around the world, is a mystery, but the joy that it brought was evidently worth the wait. (It was a wedding photo of a former student and his wife taken a year ago on July 14th.)
Sometimes the surprise is a big one, such as the recognition Bartholomew (Nathaniel), received from Jesus when his friend, Philip, brought him to Jesus, who declared him to be a "true child of Israel, in whom there is no duplicity." (John 1: 47).  Astounded, Nathaniel asked, "How do you know me?"   Jesus replied that even before Philip called him, he had seen him under the fig tree. That moment changed Nathaniel's life, and he went on to be a faithful apostle and evangelizer, bringing the faith even as far as India.
We forget that we are seen, known and loved at all times; that when we need a reminder not to give up hope, it comes, and that God loves to surprise us in small and big ways.  What surprises are in store for us today?
Bro. Rene