The Gift of the Unexpected

Hello my lovelies!

You may be looking at my photo and asking yourself …”What am I looking at?” That’s exactly the reaction that I am hoping for. Have you ever opened a package and felt completely confused? You were expecting one thing and what you got…was not at all what you expected? Like…a can of sardines. You open them up and you expect…well…sardines right? But instead you get…Swedish fish? 

Personally, I would appreciate the exchange. I HATE sardines. Whenever a can of them is opened, I will be as far away from them as possible. My mom however, would be extremely annoyed. She loves the weird little fishies…. (especially covered in mustard). I am like my mother in many areas. Enjoying sardines is not one of them.

This year has been a year full of unexpected moments. Some good…others not so much. One of the most recent unexpecteds was covid. Now, covid has been around for just a few days over two years (starting December 12, 2019) so it’s no longer that strange to hear the word. However, as I traveled home for Christmas this year, I can say I never expected to have contracted covid. I can definitely say I never expected to spread it to my parents. It was… unexpected. 

What was meant to be a time of celebration and family fellowship became overshadowed with the fact that 3 out of 4 people in the house now had a sickness that had brought fear into many hearts across the globe. All the plans that we had for my winter break came to a halt as we realized we as a family would have to quarantine. There would be no shopping (except online), no extra family coming down to visit (my sister had to decide to not come so that she would not get sick), and the Christmas services would have to be watched online. 

A lot of unexpecteds…right? Now, let me tell you of another unexpected. My family’s reaction. I have seen many people over the last two years get covid. And the reactions I see? Fear, anger, frustration. Their entire world seems to fall apart. But in my family? I am surprised to say that we just accepted it in stride. Don’t be misled, we are sick, with each of us showing different symptoms. But I find myself being grateful that it’s not more serious. We still had Christmas. We opened presents and stockings like normal (Praise the Lord, we already had them wrapped.) Even in our fatigue and exhaustion, Mom and I were able to get a Christmas dinner prepared (mainly mom, but I was able to peel eggs and potatoes and make deviled eggs). 

And the spirit of our house? Unexpectedly joyful. There’s laughter…there’s humor… The only frustration that I’ve sensed in the house was my own –  the fact that we couldn’t go and get orange juice (I do love my orange juice and my brother drank it all before I flew in…how rude)

The point of this post is this…find the joy in the unexpected. If one bad thing can ruin time with family…you’re living life all wrong. Life is unexpected. It’s full of unexpected moments- both good and bad. I’ve already done a post about “three blessings go” (feel free to go back and look at that post). I can say that, if I hadn’t been practicing that in my own life..this unexpected would have been much harder to face. For example, as my dad put it yesterday “You could have had covid and spent Christmas alone”. But instead, I’m here with my family. We have gifts. We have food. We have warmth. We were able to watch church online (and the service was a major blessing to my heart).  My mom also adds that “We have coffee!” And…she’s exactly right. I believe the world would end if coffee runs out..that’s how much we love it. 

Find joy in the unexpected. Open the day as it’s a gift from God. See what He has in store. Don’t let the negative unexpecteds get you down but instead, face them head on with the joy God has given you. 

Do you have an unexpected moment you would like to share? Maybe an unexpected blessing? Or an unexpected prayer request? Comment below or message me directly. I’d love to hear from you.

Photo Creds- Rosanna Smith from unsplash – Photo Editing creds- Julie Myers