Endless surprises
were in store for me a few months ago as I cared for a friend who was recovering from knee replacement surgery.  It’s quite a surgery…and pain medication makes the recovery even more “interesting!” I can tell you that for 2 or 3 weeks after the surgery, I found her walker everywhere.  I found it in odd places: stranded by the back gate, abandoned by the kitchen sink, even shoved between the clothes of her closet.

The thing was, the walker was necessary for her recovery, she just didn’t have the patience for it.  It’s hard to blame her yet the mysterious walker became a kind of “Hansel and Gretel breadcrumb” for me.  I knew if I followed it, invariably I’d find her.

Wondering What’s Next

The days and weeks following the resurrection of Jesus will filled with surprising appearances, as well.  He walked with the apostles on the road to Emmaus, and worked as a beach Chef for an early morning barbecue – even the walls of the room in which the apostles were hiding were no match for his desire to be with his friends.  He took them by surprise each time he appeared.  Scripture tells us  (click here to read the story of breakfast on the beach) they knew who he was but there was still something different enough about him that made them wonder…

Why Does Jesus Keep Coming?

Sometimes – because our life may seem like one long parade of struggles and challenging stressful encounters – we might imagine that Jesus would be quite satisfied to have slipped the bonds of earth.  Why would he keep coming back?  If you thought that it might be for LOVE, you would probably be right.  There was so much Jesus still wanted to share with them but I wonder if the simple joy of spending time with his friends was one of the main reasons?

It is hard to imagine something that real and yet that simple about God.  I mean, God has serious work to do.  People need saving, churches need guidance, and world leaders need inspiration.  It is pretty amazing to imagine that God might prefer my company over doing…anything.

Down Time With God

Not doing anything but spending time with God is actually prayer.

Authentic prayer is not our work – it is God’s.  So, all you have to do is what Mary of Bethany did – sit and listen.  Put yourself in the path of God and let God do the heavy lifting.  Tune in to what is just beneath the surface of what you see and hear around you and you may just be surprised.  God pops up in the most amazing places.

It is a simple joy for God to spend time with you.  God keeps coming back…keeps coming back so often that God never actually leaves.

How will God pop in to your life today? Hosting a dinner for friends? Going to the game with a few buddies?  Stopping for dinner with a car full of kids? The God who loves your company doesn’t need to be asked twice; offer a quick invitation to be part of whatever will be on the agenda next…and see what surprises you will discover.

Yes, the initiative to spend time together is God’s but who doesn’t love to be asked to join the fun?  Even God loves a good time!

Waits To Be Invited?

Don’t get me wrong. God is not waiting for your invitation to join your everyday life. The point of extending this kind of relaxed, intentional invitation to God is the awareness this develops in you that God is always there, longing to be part of your most ordinary tasks and activities.

Just like Jesus enjoyed the companionship of his friends after his resurrection, God enjoys your company.  The more we realize this truth, the more our hearts open to it, the deeper our friendship grows.

Go ahead – you have already made plans for today – ask God to bless the agenda through an active participation in your plans.

What’s the hardest part of this for you? Let’s start a conversation, right here, looking for common challenges. We have so much to learn from one another.