Embrace The Unexpected

The incessant meowing grew louder by the minute, accompanied by a repetitive scratch-scratch-scratch at the bedroom door. “Ugh,” I snapped, “stop it, you silly cat!” “Meow, meoooow,” answered the persistent feline. Groaning as I climbed out of bed, thirteen year-old me opened my door and stumbled into the hallway, still half asleep. “Good morning, Jingles,” I croaked as if the furball understood, “don’t worry, it doesn’t start for five minutes.”

As soon as I entered the living room, it was readily apparent why Jingles was so distressed this morning. There in the orange and brown plaid reclining rocker sat my uncle, his eyes glued to the television watching the morning news. Jingles looked up begging me with his deep black eyes, followed by a pleading “meooooooow.” As I watched, Jingles’ gaze shifted away from me to the coffee table then landed directly on my dear uncle’s hand tightly gripping the TV remote.

Who could blame my uncle? As an out of town guest, he certainly had no idea that he was disrupting my precious cat’s morning routine. 

“I’m sorry, Uncle Louie,” I apologized, “May I please have the remote, I need to change the channel. It’s almost 7 o’clock.” 

“You can change it when the news is over, 10 more minutes,” came the reply. 

Jingles glared at the unwelcome guest, then looked with angst at this female owner. Shrugging my shoulders, I watched as my annoyed tabby cat strutted to the television, moving purposefully. With the thin pencil lines on his face turned into a scowl and his dark banded tail held high, he lifted his white front paw, deliberately pushing the off button, then turned and glared, fuming at the human who had refused his owner’s request.

“Hey, is he trying to catch a fly?” yelled my uncle, assuming my fur baby had accidentally turned off the TV.

“No,” I sighed, having seen this same behavior when my grandmother came for a visit last year, “Jingles just declared war against you.” 

For several moments, the scene played out repetitively, my uncle using the remote to turn the news on followed by the defiant kitty stabbing his front foot to turn the television off. Finally surrendering, Uncle Louie rose from the chair giving up the competition.

“I certainly never expected to battle a cat over a television,” he grumbled more to Jingles than to me as he handed me the remote.

After pressing the button for channel 8 and placing the control face-up on the coffee table, I nodded towards the grinning pussycat who was quite satisfied that he’d won the skirmish. In the blink of an eye, Jingles sprinted across the room, stepped gingerly on the ‘on’ button of the remote and curled contently into the recliner as his favorite morning cartoon started. 

‘Winky Dink and me, Winky Dink and you, Winky Dink is going to have a party,” the theme song boomed as Uncle Louie stared in disbelief.

As strange and unexpected as my childhood pet’s behavior was to my uncle, it doesn’t compare to the unexpected things of God. The unexpected, along with its fear, joy or sorrow, happens to all of us. But, as believers, we know that Jesus does glorious things and we can believe our redemptive God for the unexpected and for new beginnings. 

During our Sunday service recently, we studied Acts 3:1-10. As Peter and John were walking to the temple one day, they encountered a beggar, who had been lame since birth.

“Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.” Acts 3:4-8

The lame man never expected God to work in a powerful and personal way. But the Holy Spirit, working through the apostles, did the unexpected. We should not fear, avoid or ignore the unexpected, but rather we should pray for and embrace unexpected blessings to the glory of God. 

Over the past ten months, I have been abundantly blessed to watch God flood unexpected blessing after blessing on our little church plant. Blessings have come in uncountable forms, including answered prayer, unexpected funds, unexpected encouragers and unexpected help from other churches. We have cheerleaders for our church’s vision that we may not meet until we sing God's praises together in heaven. When God does the unexpected, like the healed lame man, may we too ‘walk, jump and praise God,’ giving glory to the Lord Almighty.