Being ready for the unexpected

As the father of four kids, sickness is a regular occurrence in our house. It seems that Kellie and I are always armed with ibuprofen and acetaminophen and we have our pediatrician's number on speed dial. But what really irks me is how often sickness seems to strike at the most inopportune times (not that there is a good time to be sick, mind you). Why must my kids get sick so often on Saturdays and Sundays? Don't these viruses know that our doctor's office doesn't have regular hours during the middle of the night?

There are lots of things in life that can catch us off guard and without a plan on how to handle them. For instance, as I type these words late on a Saturday night, the pipes under my kitchen sink have officially revolted and carried their water coup through the flooring into the basement. It's not a pretty site and there's not a whole lot I can do about it late at night unless I want to sell a kidney to afford the plumber's bill.

When life's circumstances strike at the most unexpected of times, there are a myriad of reactions that can result:

• You can panic and act like the world is ending 
• You could respond with anger and possibly break something or say something that you know you will regret later 
• You might put on your "Mr./Miss In Control" outfit and try to fix it all by your lonesome 
• You can stop freaking out and trust that nothing that happens in our lives will ever catch God off guard

Think about that. Do you think God would ever blurt out with, "Wow! I didn't see that coming!"? Of course not, because in His unlimited wisdom there is nothing that takes Him by surprise or causes Him to scratch His head in confusion. Isaiah 40:28 reminds us that God doesn't grow tired or weary and that He possesses an understanding that none of us can truly grasp. Psalm 121:3-4 encourages us with the fact that God doesn't get tired and never needs to sleep, therefore everything that ever occurs does so on His watch.

How should all of this affect you? It should bring you great comfort and joy to know that you serve a God who is completely sovereign over every area of life and that time is non-limiting to Him. There is not one thing that you are going through today or even tomorrow that will cause God to be utterly baffled and without a response. You can always expect that.