Beyond What’s Expected

Beyond What’s Expected

Do surprise parties ever work anymore?

You plan, you demand secrecy, you park all the cars down the street, everyone hides, and you yell, “Surprise!” The person smiles, laughs, and acts like he can’t believe this is happening but later reveals that he suspected it all along.

We’ve lost the wonder of surprise. In fact, as much as we can, we order our lives so that we face nothing unexpected. We wake up at the same time. We work the same job or stay in the same field for years. We pay the same bills. We see the same people. Go to the same places. Think the same thoughts. Over and over and over.

When was the last time you were truly astonished? Bowled over by surprise? Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone, shake things up, and expect the unexpected.

“What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”—the things God has prepared for those who love him—these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. —1 Corinthians 2:9–10