Last December was our first taste of winter in North Carolina after having moved from Minnesota to Florida and now halfway back north. We did not know what to expect and it was a fun time watching the transition from winter to spring in our new locale. One warmer morning at the beginning of December I stopped to take a closer look at the flower above. I was totally surprised to see a lone little daisy in full bloom. You would not see that in December in Minnesota and you would not be surprised if you were in Florida. I started taking pictures of it regularly to see how long it could survive. It did not take long to find out. The hard freezes around Christmas did the little flower in. But for those few weeks I enjoyed seeing the “December Daisy.”
As a nature photographer a great help in getting a good picture is having a keen peripheral vision. Sudden little movements can lead to unexpected photographs. Also, being able to see that which is different in a scene can do the same thing. Being ready and then seeing the unexpected can lead to a successful photographic outing. The same holds for our walk with the Lord.
In my pilgrimage with the Lord, am I open to Him working the unexpected? I think of the Angel Gabriel coming to Mary in Luke chapter one. That is a major example of the unexpected breaking into your life. I do not expect that to happen to me. But God still brings the small, unexpected things into my life and many are unexpected blessings like the “December Daisy.”
In First Corinthians 2:9-10 St. Paul says, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love Him, God has revealed to us through the Spirit.” St. Paul is telling us to expect the unexpected from God. If we are walking close to our Lord, we should not be surprised that He wants to actively work in our lives. God bestows His graces upon us to assist us in living the life to which He has called us. Our part is to be open to those graces and to respond to them when they break into our lives. In Second Corinthians 12:9 St. Paul says the Lord told him, “My grace is sufficient for you.” Do I believe it? Am I looking for it? Am I open to it when it comes? Do I live it?
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