Advent: Day 12

Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:10-11

Yesterday I wrote about finding God in the common things. Today I'm reflecting on finding God in the surprising, unexpected things. Lucado's devotional focuses on the shepherds watching their sheep at night. He asserts that their biggest desire is to have an uneventful shift. After all, if something happened overnight it would probably be bad -- wolves, sick sheep, etc. So when the angel came they probably weren't initially too pumped about having their calm night turned upside down.

If you know me in real life, you know that I almost always have a plan. If I don't, it's because I've thought it through and made a plan to not have a plan. I'm super spontaneous like that. My job is one that comes with frequent interruptions, and I think I do pretty well with them, but my strategy for dealing with them is much like planning...listen, assess the situation, problem solve, make a plan, execute the plan. It seems I even turn random interruptions into plans. I like control.

But God sometimes works in the surprising and unexpected, just like he did for the shepherds that night.

Tonight I pray that instead of trying to get my control back when things go off the course of my plan, I'll stop to look for God working in the unexpected. Amen.