surrender to the surprise: how we see the invisible
the may 2022 newsletter
Hey friends,
I’ve never thought of myself as a bird person. I grew up around domestic birds – parrots, cockatiels – and never really cared for them. I’ve always been a cat person. And not just a normal cat person, but the crazy cat lady who keeps her felines strictly indoors but has also pondered the possibilities of having an outside cat run, or covered cat patio.
Seriously, it’s a thing. They’re called catios. Cute, yes?
So...yeah. And yet now I am also the crazy bird lady who has 271 pictures of chicks and quail on her phone, and I will talk your ear off about the antics of Molly McDoodle and why our rooster has three names.
It astounds me. I never would’ve guessed this about myself.
God knew all along, though. He was waiting for the right time to add 38 chicks and quail to our family so I could step into this new sphere of joy and stewardship.
We tend to try to predict our future by thinking things will look like they did in the past. We have expectations and preconceived notions about our abilities, our identities, and our giftings based on patterns we’ve already seen. And sometimes we’re right. But often we’re right because we limited ourselves and created a self-fulfilling prophecy that did not give God room to surprise us.
Do we want to be right, or do we want to be righteous? Do we want to be safe, or do we want to be surprised and surrendered to all that God wants to do through us?
God started correcting my preconceived notions years ago when He told me, You have no idea who you’re dealing with. Not threatening, but gently patient. Who you’re dealing with is Myself, and yourself, in ways you’ve never known or seen before.
Here’s the thing: The enemy fears our growth. He hates the idea of us understanding who we are and walking in our identity, so he will do anything to convince us to not do it. He will do whatever it takes to deceive us and keep us smaller than we are – and to keep us believing God is smaller than who He really is, too.
And this is not a season where we can afford to be diminishing God, or ourselves, or what He wants to do through us. The future of our nations and communities will pivot on our willingness to see what God wants to show us, and walk in the direction He sends us.
I’ve been reading Isaiah lately and it parallels current events in an extraordinary way. In chapter 7 King Ahaz is threatened with war by two other kings allied against him, and the Lord sends Isaiah to encourage him with what he could not see:
And say to him, ‘Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah.
Because Syria, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has devised evil against you, saying, “Let us go up against Judah and terrify it, and let us conquer it for ourselves, and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it,” thus says the Lord God:
“‘It shall not stand,
and it shall not come to pass.
For the head of Syria is Damascus,
and the head of Damascus is Rezin.
And within sixty-five years
Ephraim will be shattered from being a people.
And the head of Ephraim is Samaria,
and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah.
If you are not firm in faith,
you will not be firm at all.’”
– Isaiah 7:5-9
Yeah, there are a lot of names there. Here’s the Cliff’s notes version: Ahaz, I know there’s a lot going on, but there’s more than just what you see. Your enemies are threatening you, but they are small. They’re not as scary as you think they are, and in 65 years they won’t even be recognizable. But you need to believe Me.
And then God told them to ask for a sign to help his belief, and to not hold back. See me as bigger than your problem, He said. But in false humility, or lack of faith – or more likely, both – Ahaz said no. No, he was too good to ask for a sign, he knew better than God did. Lord, you can stay small and safe. I won’t ask anything too big of You. I won’t get too big for my britches. I won’t presume upon Your greatness just in case You’re not really that great.
His self righteousness angered God, so God announced His own sign, and proclaimed the impossible.
We also are threatened by enemies and events, and we know there’s more going on than just what we can see. We have the opportunity to meet the threats firm in our faith: Willing to see what God wants to show us. Ready to surrender to what He wants to do through us. And excited to see how He wants to astound us.
He is always doing a million things around us, but we usually don’t have the eyes to see them. But here’s how we see what everyone else can’t:
Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?”
“Manifest” means to make plain, or show, or reveal. Lord, how will we see You when the world can’t?
Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”
– John 14:21-23
We love Him, we keep His word, He loves us, and He makes His home with us. We see the invisible by abiding. He’s doing what He does for anyone to see, but only those who love Him will have the vision for it.
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.
– John 14: 18-19
God is unleashing His desires upon those willing to receive and steward them. In turn, we will unleash righteousness, truth, joy, justice, health, and restoration upon the communities around us as He works through us, willing to be surprised by who He is making us into.
Because we don’t just see the invisible by having our eyes opened to what is around us – sometimes we see the invisible by putting our hands to what He wants to make manifest.
What might you not yet know about yourself that He is just waiting to reveal to you? What sphere of stewardship is He nudging you toward that might end up being an absolute delight to you?
He has seen it all along, and has been waiting for the right time to surprise you. Your surrender reveals your readiness.
Praying for you,
Shannon
P.S. I missed the big milestone last month, but I did the math yesterday and just realized...this is my 101st newsletter. Thanks for reading, friends. xo
P.P.S. Links for you!
Want to join us for a great book, growth in wholeness, and sharpened writing skills? The current track in Gaining Ground is Hinds Feet on High Places and we just started last week. If you join fast you have time to catch up and we’d love to have you! Join our chat group here, and if you want the writing portion (the first assignment isn’t due for two weeks) register here.
I’m now on Truth Social, right here. If you’re there, let’s connect!
How did God design gardening to be? Here’s one look. (1 hour 43 minutes, great for kids)
What can hydrogen peroxide do? Apparently, this. (2 minutes)
No time for a two hour hike? Here’s a four minute workout.
Pay attention to the food supply – but laugh while doing it, thanks to JP Sears. (7 minutes, inappropriate remark around the 6:30 mark) But also, get some chickens (or quail) and start throwing seeds at dirt.
If you or someone you love took the jab and would like to disable the negative effects of it, this is a terrific resource from Deep Roots at Home.
Family news: Someone special graduated last week. (30 seconds)
Podcasts this month: If you feel too small to do anything, If you think it’s over, What’s the point of all this, anyway? and If you’re tempted to hold back. The video versions are linked in each of those posts if that’s what you prefer.
Favorite post from Mr. Guerra this month: Is God calling you to step into something uncomfortable, something you're not sure you're ready for? You'll never know unless you give it a shot.
If you have been through a dark season that has lasted for years (yeeeears), this is an incredible word for you from Lana Vawser. If you are dealing with the trauma/secondary trauma of adoption and foster care, you also might find great hope and healing in this. Our expectations (faith) impact our future.