Surprise

Most people like good surprises.  You know, the ones that are thought through, intended to give pleasure, show us that someone cares, understand what makes us happy and knows what we like.  However sadly there are those other surprises in daily life that are not planned and we could really do without.  The accident that shocks and leaves us hurt, the unexpected announcement that changes someone's life and has repercussions for the whole family, the sudden illness or diagnosis that changes our life and expectations, the unforeseen event that throws out our day-to-day routine.  Surprises really do come in all shapes and sizes.

We’re all creatures of habit and routine to some extent, so it’s often the other surprises that can turn our lives upside-down, cause stress, upset and anxiety.

Sometimes however, particularly after the event, we surprise ourselves by feeling perversely glad for the bad surprise and unexpected event.  We’re sometimes good at seeking the positives. For example, maybe the situation returned our focus to the important things in life, particularly family, perhaps it changed our direction or path, made us a stronger person or just made us extremely grateful that we could dust ourselves down and walk away from what has happened with no serious long-term problems.

Throughout life many of us have found find the constant presence of God and having a faith in him to be a comfort, guide and a strengthening force of help.  We often feel more than a little blessed and guided when life has actually taken a turn for the worse.  This all stems from knowing God, understanding him and developing a relationship with him.  Through this we can start to recognise his care and guidance in our surprisingly turbulent lives, realising that bizarre unforeseen things do happen for a reason and a genuine inner peace is achieved through placing our trust in him.

Useful passage to look up: Psalm 121