"Surprise me!"

My daughter works in an environment abounding in creativity. Recently she got thoughtful note of appreciation from one of her co-horts. As a proud Daddy, it melted my heart; as a praying man, it challenged my trust in God. Was I willing to be surprised by the Big Guy?

Many years ago, I had a crazy-brilliant creative partner named Blain Johnsen. Lives in Woodstock, NY, now. We’re still friends. We were a very tight-knit team. Sometimes when were were on the road and eating at great restaurants — this was in the days of outrageous expense accounts — when it was time to order Johnsen would tell the waiter, “Surprise me.” He wouldn’t give a hint about his tastes, wouldn’t answer any questions. Just “Surprise me.” I’ve done that a few times myself, and it’s really fun. The waiters love it too.

Well, sometime last year I realized something: I’ll trust a waiter to surprise me, with a full expectation that it’s going to be a great experience, but I wasn’t trusting God to surprise me. I’d be real specific about what I’d pray for, as if there was reason to be suspicious of anything outside the realm of what I could imagine I needed. So finally I started saying, sometimes, to God, “Surprise me. I’ll let You decide what You think’s good today.” And surprise me He has. It’s been one astonishment after another. You’re one of them. At a time when I really needed a kindred spirit and a challenging intellect in my life, in you dropped out of the blue — such a completely unexpected person and in such an unexpected way. A wonderful surprise I could never have designed.

The specifics I would ask God for are so dull and uncreative compared to His surprises. This is fun. I’m grateful. Thank you.