Well, I got quite the surprise last night...what I thought would be a nice quiet dinner among friends turned into a huge party. Laura picked me up for dinner and when we walked into the restaurant, I looked around, still not suspecting a thing...and then heard "Surprise!" I almost looked behind me to see who was the recipient...and then realized it was me! I have some sneaky friends...but wonderful ones.
This is no pity party by any means...I haven't had a "friend" birthday party since middle school...I don't really think about it because I'm always with my family for Christmas. This was a complete surprise and delight. As I made my way through the restaurant to greet people and thank them, I was blown away that they all came. It was as if many of my worlds came together...to celebrate life as we live it together. I had just written about "home" and community and how blessed I feel by it all...and they did all of that for me.
Sometimes it's hard for me to grasp the scope of God's love. When people do things for me, I feel at a loss...accepting gifts and help is hard sometimes. We want to be self-sufficient, independent, and in control. When others give...when they give of themselves, their time, and their love for us, it can be uncomfortable. But, if we neglect to accept these gifts of the people around us, we impoverish ourselves...and we don't learn how to give graciously ourselves. And many times we don't accept that God loves us unconditionally...enough to take our brokenness, our guilt, our messy selves and make them something good. God surprises us...we know about God's love...but do we accept it, embrace it, and recycle it? Be surprised today...and soak it all in...then wring it out on someone else. I know I'm glad others have done that for me.
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