Expecting the Unexpected Archives

Expecting the Unexpected: from fear to anticipation

12.24.2019 by Maricela Martinez //

Our team is excited to introduce you to our friend, Maricela. Once we experienced her friendship and her beautiful heart—well, you’ll understand why we love her so much! She’s a wife, mom, and deeply-caring friend who shows up for ladies in her church’s coffee house ministry. She loves her ladies well, and they love her back. We were thrilled she accepted our invitation to write on expecting the unexpected (the series began with Tracy’s, Jennifer’s, and Megan’s posts). I (Jennifer) have been anticipating this post since the invitation. And now, here it is!

Please welcome Mari to Facets, friends, and leave comments below or at the Facebook Page!

Hello, ladies!

When I was invited to write for Facets of Faith I was honored, excited, and very nervous. I’m not a writer. I do a few scribbles here and there in my journal but not anything I’ve ever shared. I decided early in the year that I would say yes to any opportunity that God gave me to share how He has worked in my life. It may bring hope to others. I’m excited to share how my feelings on expecting the unexpected went from fear to anticipation. When I used to think of the unexpected, I always expected the worst, but our God is a good, faithful Father, and He uses the unexpected for our good.

Christmas 2005 was a sad and dark one for me. It was the end of a 10-year relationship I expected to last forever. I don’t believe I have ever fought so hard at anything. The kind of fighting that leaves one drained, empty, and defeated. I didn’t believe in divorce. I couldn’t stand the thought of my son having to go between two homes. I prayed for a loving husband and a loving father for my son, but there I was, a divorced single mother. I felt like a failure and slipped into a severe depression. I was disappointed with God for not answering my prayers the way I expected Him to. I wondered why I wasn’t loved enough by God to let me keep my family together. Why did everything fall apart for me? I tortured myself with questions. Did I not pray enough? Did I not pray the right prayers? Scripture says that if I have enough faith, I could move mountains. Did I not have enough faith?

From a very young age I believed in God. I believed Him to be all mighty and powerful. I knew about His son, Jesus, who died for me, but I was not in relationship with Him. I prayed only to make requests and to give thanks for the good things. Feeling hurt, defeated, and unworthy of God, I turned to other things to fill the void I was carrying. That didn’t turn out well for me.

Without going into deep details, my life just kept spiraling out of control. I had become a victim of my situation. I blamed my bad choices on my life situation. I had an excuse for everything. I had become bitter and full of sarcasm. I went through my days expecting the worst.

It took some time, but slowly I started to feel better and started to seek God again. God healed my wounds. He revealed to me that my identity was not in that broken relationship but in HIM as HIS beloved daughter. He allowed me to revisit my past without the bitterness and anger; thus allowing me to see that He was always present. Although I couldn’t see it back then, He provided me with wonderful friendships, a loving family, and a son that would be my strength and reason to move forward.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

There are times in our life when we can’t understand why things fall apart for us. The unexpected can leave us heartbroken, but the Lord asks us to trust Him in everything, to acknowledge Him always, and to refrain from trying to make sense out of situations. His ways are greater than ours. He will restore our peace and joy in ways that only He can do. Our Father will always replace what we lost with something greater than we ever expected, when we seek Him first.

In 2008 I met Jose on an online dating site. I didn’t expect I would marry him the following year. He became that loving and caring father I had been praying for my son, Tony. In 2011 we were blessed with another son, Gabriel. I wish I could say that Jose and I fell in love, got married, and everything has been great ever since, but that isn’t our story. Jose and I went through a very difficult season in our marriage. Almost defeated and tired of fighting, I surrendered my marriage to God. Instead of fighting, I prayed. Oh, did HE answer my prayers in unexpected ways!

In the spring of 2014, Jose met Jesus and fell in love. I was no longer on this faith journey alone; God provided a companion for me, my husband. We promised each other that we would work on putting Christ at the center of our marriage. We began to seek God’s direction for our family. We got baptized together in March of 2019. It was such a special day for us. In June we celebrated 10 years of marriage. The relationship that I expected to die was given life by Jesus.

Today life is far from perfect, but I know my Father has led me exactly to where I’m supposed to be. I no longer fear the unexpected because I look for God’s sweet blessings in it.

The One Who Expects the Unexpected

12.17.2019 by Megan Abbott //

Merry (almost) Christmas! I am so excited to join the team here at Facets of Faith, and am thankful to have been welcomed warmly by all of you that already know Jen and Tracy. I look forward to meeting you here each month. Check out what Jen had to say last week about Expecting the Unexpected here, and Tracy’s thoughts here. I pray that our words will find you wherever you may be this Christmas season, and that God will show himself to be just a step away.

‘TIS THE SEASON

It is the season of mesmerizing Christmas lights, cheesy movies with all the happy endings, gatherings with friends and family, gifts, and lots of Christmas cookies. This is the time of year when I love sitting in my apartment, surrounded by warm Christmas lights, covered in blankets, and drinking tea. There is something about it that just feels homey. It may also be that it is typically so cold I dread going outside, but we can ignore that.

For me, the holidays tend to have this cloud of expectation around them. I travel to see my family each Christmas, so there is always this building of anticipation leading up to the day I leave. So many expectations for family time, traditions, friends, friends’ super adorable children, home cooked meals with my family, and everything that goes along with seeing people you miss most of the year.

UNMET EXPECTATIONS

Not every year goes to plan, though. If nothing else, it seems inevitable that the 8 hour drive turns into 9. I feel like this year especially there are so many of us are in the midst of something that wouldn’t make that list of hopeful expectations. What about the first Christmas after we have lost someone we love? The Christmas where we aren’t able to be with those we love? The Christmas where we are aching for family healing, a spouse, children, financial provision, or healing of sickness? Contrary to how we may feel while watching all the movies with perfect endings, this can be a really, really hard time of year.

SHIFTING PERSPECTIVES

As I have been working through the thoughts and scripture God put on my heart for this month, I was encouraged by a friend to consider the shape of a V. As I am standing at the bottom point of the V, looking up to God with all my expectations, I may feel muddled that they don’t look like where I actually am, but what if we consider God’s perspective from the top of the V and look back at where we are from His view?

You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139:16‬ ‭NLT

God expects the unexpected. He sees us. It doesn’t take away the hurt, disappointment, or tears, but it feels good to know that the Creator of the earth, and everything in it, isn’t surprised. He isn’t surprised by the point where we stand today, or where we will be a year from now. He sees our refinement. He sees us learning to love through hard situations. He sees us leaning on him through our unmet expectations. He sees us.

LAUGHING AT GOD

I really relate to Sarah in Genesis 18. Talk about unexpected, she literally laughed at God when she heard where her life was going.

I will return to you about this time next year, and your wife, Sarah, will have a son!” Sarah was listening to this conversation from the tent. Abraham and Sarah were both very old by this time, and Sarah was long past the age of having children. So she laughed silently to herself and said, “How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my husband is also so old?’

Then the Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, ‘Can an old woman like me have a baby?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.’ Sarah was afraid, so she denied it, saying, ‘I didn’t laugh.’ But the Lord said, ‘No, you did laugh.’” Genesis 18:10-15 NLT

A couple chapters later, we see that Sarah had a baby, exactly when God said she would. She laughed again. This I can relate to. Not the having a baby part, but the laughing because God did the unexpected thing I had laughed at in the first place.

FINDING REST WITH THE ONE WHO KNOWS

We aren’t promised we get everything we pray for, or that the pain will go away this Christmas, but we are promised God knows where we are. He hasn’t forgotten, and He is Immanuel (God with us). Whether it is big, scary, painful, joyous, or somewhere in between, we can expect the unexpected knowing nothing surprises God. We can find rest with Him.

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11:28‬ ‭NLT‬‬

A little closing consideration for the Facets family: Why don’t we as the church reach out to those around us and show them we see where they are too? If someone around you needs family this Christmas, can you be the unexpected family for them?

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Expecting the Unexpected: Surprise!

12.10.2019 by Jennifer Howe //

Hey friends, the Facets are expecting the unexpected. December is the perfect time to think about the unexpected surprise. Tracy shared her thoughts here. And it’s super-exciting to let you in on a secret: you’ll receive two sweet surprises over the next two weeks. We’ve got two guests! Please give a warm welcome to our friends, Megan and Maricela!

This year I (Jennifer) need to look at Christmas through the eyes of a child. My perspective has become less childlike over time. On December 10th I sit at my kitchen table wondering how I’ll manage to shoehorn all the events into my calendar. I wonder when I’ll finish decorating the tree. I wonder if I’ll try to bake or do some crafty thing or write cards or…

Anyway, there’s plenty of wonder, I tell ya! I miss the wonder of the season!

The first Christmas gift I can remember from my childhood was Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots (Marx, 1964). If you know the original game, you’re familiar with the loud, surprising gear sound when a hit to the jaw was “just right” and a robot’s “block was knocked off.” As a small child, I expected the sound, but it surprised me every time. That game was played a lot in our family since it never needed batteries. Its noise may have been responsible for my overactive startle reflexes and parental headaches. *Grin*

When I think of expecting the unexpected at this time of year, I find myself leaning into the story of Jesus. Now that’s the unexpected! And yet, some expected Him.

The beautiful thing about my God is that He is always speaking—through everyday things, people who know Him, words on a page, and in whispers when the mind is quiet. And He told the world to expect the unexpected (which truly makes me question the “unexpected” part, but here we are).

O Come, O Come, Immanuel…¹

Isaiah received the honor of announcing the coming King to God’s people hundreds of years before the advent. He would be faithful to the spoken promises (the expecting part), but the time and place would be unknown except to a few (the unexpected part).

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. Isaiah 9:6-7 ESV

And ransom captive Israel—that mourns in lonely exile here…

The promise was made by a God who keeps His promises. And yet, the people in that day (and their descendants) would not see the child in their lifetime. Jerusalem would fall, the people would be in exile for hundreds of years, and eventually Israel would be occupied and oppressed by Roman rule—all before the promise would be fulfilled.

Until the Son of God appear…

And then—surprise!—the unexpected happened. The magi in the East expected it and made the trek to worship the new King. I love that my pastor put it this way: there’s a “math problem in the book of Daniel, and the magi worked it out. They looked for a sign in the heavens because they expected God to show them in that way.”² The magi were students of Daniel’s writings and the night sky. They knew the prophetic promise and saw the “new star” because they were watching. Being expectant and open to the unexpected made the difference.

Rejoice! Rejoice!

In contrast, just when the magi witnessed the sign, a little town overflowed with people obeying Caesar’s census decree. Everyone from the House of David was in Bethlehem. The King who would sit on “the throne of David” was right there. The people of God, the ones who knew the scriptures, overlooked the moment that would change everything! A miraculous pregnancy. They baby born in Bethlehem. They all missed it! Except—

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel

And He came with the angelic announcement to shepherds in the field at night.

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” Luke 2:10-14 ESV

The expected King arrived in an unexpected and miraculous way. Kings are found in palaces; a trough was an unexpected place. The entire House of David was gathered in Bethlehem, yet the King’s birth was still an unexpected time for people who were not expecting the unexpected. Angels, shepherds, and a delayed caravan of magi? Unexpected.

Do you know the second verse of O Come, O Come, Immanuel?

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o’er the grave
Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel

There are fifteen (15!) days left before Christmas, and I’ll be the one thinking about expecting the unexpected. You, too?

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¹ “O Come, O Come, Immanuel.” 12th C.
² Chapman, Scott. Hope. 2019.