Be Surprised

"All of us have had the experience of a sudden joy that came when nothing in the world had forewarned us of its coming - a joy so thrilling that if it was born of misery we remembered even the misery with tenderness."

“Life always bursts the boundaries of formulas”

I recently found these great quotes on surprise by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, the author of "The Little Prince" [SIDENOTE: I must re-read that book soon so I don't become too much like an adult]. The quotes below made me re-look at my year theme of "Be Surprised". The whole thing about being surprised is it requires an unusual openness to life and a resistance to organizing every detail in life. This creates a good deal of protest from the planner within. I like to be in control and prepare for the next event, step or person in my life. But as I am discovering this year, sometimes the decision to not plan brings unexpected joys, surprises and blessings. Here is just one small example - I decided to "boycott" the Calgary Stampede and not attend any work or personal parties or events (much to the chagrin of friends and colleagues). I think I was the only one in Calgary not doing anything Stampede-ish thus leaving my calendar wide-open for 10 days. Then out of the blue, I get a call from an old friend who happened to be in town for the week and I was free to hang out a few times and catch up - a luxury my normally busy life would not have afforded. Surprise!

This example is just one of many small decisions I made this year which initially appeared to have little consequence in the big scheme of things. But in fact, those minor choices were part of a larger surprise or purpose in my life. There have been so many blessings in the past 6 months that I am often in awe that I still want to be in control. The thrill of a surprise should be enough to let go of the control...

This whole experiment about preparing to be surprised reminds me of the Woody Allen quote “If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans". I started thinking about God and surprises. Throughout the bible, God takes people’s plans for their lives and blows them to smithereens. In fact, I have a sneaky suspicion that God revels in surprising people with situations that seem so far from anything they could imagine:

Surprise, Adam - meet Eve

Surprise, Noah - it’s gonna rain, you better build a boat

Surprise, David - so you’re gonna to be king

Surprise, Jonah - yes, in fact, you are in the belly of a fish

Surprise, Mary - you are pregnant

Surprise, Martha - your brother is alive

Surprise, Paul - you are blind

Surprise, Peter - you are going to lead my church

Surprise, World - He is risen indeed.

Just think of the surprises awaiting in our lives...