Nothing you Do Surprises Me, You are actually quite predictable. Psalm 139..Day 74.

I was talking recently with my Mom friends who will regularly say..."Been there, Done That."  I had one friend recently say to me..."In a perfect world, that sounds wonderful...wait until your world is flattened, then talk to me. That does not happen when your kids are 5..." To which I agreed wholeheartedly. In my previous blog post I talked about a mental list I made in the shower one day to state to God exactly WHY I should be avoiding hardships, as I thought my "Life Plan" was lived out according to my convictions, with fervor, and a pure heart....

I got a lovely message from a dear friend today letting me know due to my transparency and honesty it has changed the way she loves her family, and all that included and called "family". She has loved to watch how I readily "adopt" people, how I have loved unconditionally, and pray for all these individuals God has brought across my path. She told me of how she implemented some "Julie techniques" into her life and home. I was brought to tears thinking about how honored I was to be included in her home. She and I both have older children, and some still in the home to care for. We are still in the thick of the parenting thing. We encouraged each other, and talked to one another briefly.

I realized something as I finished my conversation with Sarah. I was afraid of these kinds of conversations when the girls were little. Talking about or listening to the reality that some of my friends were going through with some of their kids frightened me. I thought there was a magic formula to making sure pure love and happiness and joy and blessing would follow them all the days of their life, and they would be without sorrow or tears or weeping or nary a mistake ever. I remember thinking....judging, I am sorry to confess...wellllllll...that won't be my kid, or my circumstance, or my financial problem, or my health issue, or.... You get the jist...

And then it came to me...

My life is not a surprise to God, ever. My daughters lives do not surprise God in the least. My son was not a surprise to God. My marriage was not a surprise to God. Meeting Carl in a dance club was not a surprise to God. The spiritual journey I have been embarking on over the past 10 years was not a surprise. My disappointments, fears, sadness, joy, happiness, questioning, have NEVER been a surprise. God has not been surprised for One Single Moment....

Our attitudes don't surprise God.
Our actions don't surprise God.
What we say or do does not surprise God.
Our choices do not surprise God.

Nothing is hidden from God.

NOTHING. Whether you believe that or not, is irrelevant. What you are up to is neither hidden or a surprise to God. NOTHING. Think about that for one little second. Maybe there are just a few things your need to apologize for? Repair? Backtrack on? Re do? That's okay, God knows you will take care of it, and God knows when you will, and how long it will take you. You will either be a Pharaoh, that takes 7 plagues and 7 visits from Moses to get to you and get your attention to break you down, or You will be like Mary, and say..okay God, do as you wish, I am here, and I am ready to do what you want. There does not seem to be a middle road. Some people learn the very hard way, others, learn easier and quicker. You get to decide, but you are NEVER surprising God.

I find a great comfort in this. I'm a person of faith. My faith has been tested, that is pretty predictable. Anyone who has been on a journey with the creator faces this nuance along the way. We all face predicaments that cause us to scratch our heads, hate the outcomes, wonder, um..if you knew this then WHY GOD?? You make no sense, so, yeah, I guess I'll just dump you for a while as I ponder this messed up life over here. And eventually, we realized, okay ...I will have to trust You. I get that I don't know everything, but You do, and I will Rest in that, even though I don't like it right now. Thanks for understanding me.

There is an absolute purpose for everything, even the worst things. And the worst things do not surprise God, just like the good things, Do Not Surprise God. God already knew. God wanted growth, might have wanted you to need him a little more, needed some maturity to take place, some gratitude to take place. There is a plan. Do not be dismayed. In the middle of this crazy, there is a plan, and its coming together, even as we speak, and....

God already knows what it is. The whole thing. All of it.
The blessings in life.
The burdens you will be trusted with.
The life you have currently.
The children, yup, God already knows what you will name them...some have already picked out those names, and God's like, yup, they are coming.
The careers, where you will live. Seen, and not a surprise, at all.

So, rest in this.
Rest.
Do you best.
Love your Best.
When you are discouraged, know that where you are right now, is not a mystery.

Predictably Yours,
I love you,
And there is NOTHING you can do to change that, ever.
Psalm 139....

Julie Erb Robbins