When We Don't Expect It - Kristin Sterk

We all have those “it” moments in our life. Situations that happen, when we least expect them to. That “it” changes our life course and we can’t help but sit and wonder, what’s next? Plus, what are we supposed to do with situations we don’t expect?

Like everyone in life, we too have had many situations where we have said “well we didn’t expect THAT!”

Of course our most recent one being my heart’s valve not functioning as it should. It is a valve that I have had problems with since I came out of open heart surgery in 2001 (to prevent you from having to do the math, that was 16 years ago). We have had moments of heartache as we learned another surgery was on the horizon, only to find out a year later that my valve was barely leaking, to the point we could have our OWN child. Then to have it decline after giving birth where a local cardiologist said I needed open heart surgery in the next week or two. Then to wait it out and have it return back to “normal” AGAIN, a year later. Then at my last appointment, for it to decline to the point of possibly needing another open heart surgery, again.

It honestly is not what we expected – a rollercoaster.

I am sure you can immediately think of a situation in your life, that you have not expected and wonder “what’s next?”

Dan and I had a good 2 hours to digest this news on our drive home, and we came to this conclusion:

We strive to live our lives to glorify God. If He would be more glorified or His name furthered through an open heart surgery, then that is what we want. If he would be more glorified or His name furthered through no surgery, that is what we want. We want whatever gives HIM more glory.

After going through a season of loss in 2012, that is one thing (among many others things as well), we learned:

God’s ways are so much greater than ours.

Isaiah 55: 8-9:

8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
⁹“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

There have been COUNTLESS times in my life when I think my ways are better than God’s. Actually probably every day. I seem to think that I know better than God at times and He always proves me wrong (thankfully). Of course we are sad that surgery is now on our radar again (though is not a for sure), but God has time and time again, proven that His thoughts are MUCH higher than ours. And that is where our trust and faith needs to land – in God’s hands.

I don’t know what situation you are going through right now, but what are you neglecting to give to God? A circumstance? Dreams? Money? What you want your life to look like? This is something that is a daily challenge for me. It’s not that God doesn’t care about what we care about. But the more we seek Him, the more our lives will meld into His will, making His thoughts, our thoughts.

When we pursue Him and not the things of this world, those times when “we least expect it,” will make a whole lot more sense. Clear vision may not be given right away, but it doesn’t need to be because God already knows. His ways and thoughts are MUCH higher than ours anyways!