Dear Lord, This was Not What I was Expecting

I wrote those words for the first time back in 2022.

Granted, I’d thought them hundreds of times before that, but I’d never given myself permission to actually say them. They felt… wrong. Ungrateful. Maybe even a little naive. I had survived a multi-year health crisis and finally made it out the other side. But my heart hadn't recovered from being sideswiped.

A deep part of my soul was aching, and I didn’t have the language for why. All I could think was, gosh God… this was not what I was expecting.

Maybe you can relate.

This December, we’re diving into a mini-series exploring the reality of following Christ:

We will inevitably face the unexpected.

Not because Christ is cruel.

Or because we're stupid.

But because God is always up to something bigger than we can imagine.

And honestly, what better season to talk about unexpected plot twists than Christmas? It's the moment Christ showed up in the world through entirely unexpected means.

So here are some foundational ideas to kick off this series.

IDEA NO. 1

As People, We Do Not Like the Unknown

I had a good chuckle the day I realized that for how often I say, “I love mystery shows,” it’s not really the truth. I don’t love mysteries. I love solving them. Big difference.

It’s the same deal with us and the unexpected. We don’t like being confronted with the limits of our knowledge. We squirm. We fidget. We change the subject. That pattern tracks all the way back to the Garden of Eden. (See Genesis 2–3.)

You know:

Tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

The one command from God: “Do not eat.”

Enter the snake––taunting doubt. Planting insecurity in Eve's head.

Adam and Eve face their limited awareness and… do not handle that reality well.

And here we are, years later, paying taxes and arguing about whether butter is healthy.

As a few examples of the ensuing fallout.

IDEA NO. 2

We Tend to Blame Ourselves When We Encounter Something Unexpected

We say, “I should’ve seen this coming.”

Or some version of it.

I think this ties back to our baseline demi-god complex. Remember, we repeat the dynamics, behaviors, and challenges we see in the garden of Eden. That’s part of why you’ll hear us reference it so often. It’s not because we’re stuck in the book of Genesis, I promise. It’s because so many of our “modern” struggles aren’t as modern as we think.

Freaking out about the unknown is ancient stuff.

We just don’t talk about it much.

IDEA NO. 3

We’re Not So Good at Recognizing God

Think about all the people who didn’t recognize Jesus as the Messiah while he was literally standing in front of them.

If that doesn’t give us pause about our own recognition skills… well. Yikes.

There is actually a hopeful side to this coin.

If we're not so good at recognizing what he's up to...maybe he's up to more stuff than we can imagine.

Just a thought.

IDEA NO. 4

Following God Requires Living Into the Unexpected

I chose that wording intentionally. We often say “lean into,” but I really mean live into. Not just grit your teeth and pray your way past the unexpected like it’s a pothole or a detour.

“Living into” means incorporating the unexpected people and events into your story.

It’s the difference between shuffling around something unexpected… and letting something unexpected shuffle you.

Very different responses.

Very different outcomes.

IDEA NO. 5

How We Respond to the Unexpected Is a Sign of Maturity

I used to respond to the unexpected with rage. It offended me to have my plans upended. It also terrified me.

I assumed I was supposed to have way more control than was even possible. And I assumed God was way less strategic with what he did or allowed into my life than he actually was.

That combination? A one-way ticket to Not Handling Things Well.

It’s still a growth area, with daily opportunities to mature. But I’ve learned that walking in step with the Lord is deeply dependent on our willingness to let God take a detour.

And still follow him anyway.

IDEA NO. 6

Detours to Us Are Not Detours to God

He’ll take you places you didn’t expect.

He’ll bring you people you didn’t expect.

And it may not make sense at first glance.

But Yahweh is smart.

So if he leads you into a wild card season, embrace it. He'll be with you in it. And he saw it coming from miles away.

The Closing Game Plan

Here’s what to expect in the next few weeks as we roll out this mini-series. (Pun half intended.)

We’re leaning hard into the interdisciplinary nature of what we do—because, well, that’s kind of our thing.

Week 1: Theology

We’ll deep-dive into Scripture to look at patterns of God’s unexpected behavior and how we can better collaborate with him.

Week 2: Psychology

Building on that foundation, we’ll explore how trauma, sin, and the unknown tangle together when life takes unexpected turns.

Week 3: Creativity

Let’s get practical. Here’s how unexpectedness shows up in our projects, jobs, hobbies, and side-hustles.

Week 4: Jumanji

Oh yeah. No sneak peeks. No hints. Pure wild-card week. Stay tuned.