Tales of the unexpected

My first fishing trip of this year, made in the company of two other Christian Anglers members, was with specimen perch as the intended target. The specimen perch aspiration was a realistic one, as the pond concerned was one from which all three of us have landed out-sized perch and where, although the fishing is never easy, normally at least one of the party lands a stripey, spiky fish that merits weighing and a quick "grip and grin" for the camera.

However, this time round the only perch we caught were miniscule, and the fish we predominantly caught were roach, almost all in the six ounce to three quarters of a pound size range. Now, don't get me wrong, they were handsome fish, silver hued like something from a jeweller's window and good fun to catch, but they weren't what we expected or had ventured to the lake in search of.

Reflecting afterwards, I thought about how that fishing trip was, in a sense, a microcosm of life itself. So often what happens is different from what we expected, sometimes in ways that brings us joy, at other times sadness and struggle. It can sound trite, but particularly when the unexpected is also unwelcome, the Christian's unique comfort comes from the knowledge that God is in our struggles with us and that, eternally, He has a good and perfect plan for each of our lives and a prepared place for us where there is no sickness, sadness or pain.

When the prophet Jeremiah proclaimed on behalf of God "for I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" he was speaking to the whole community of the people of God who were about to be carried away into exile for 70 years, which probably wasn't what they'd expected or hoped for! 

However, God's word was a promise of rescue and redemption, and - in time- the promise came to pass. If you're facing unexpected challenges at the moment be assured of the promise in Romans 12 that God has for us a "good, pleasing and perfect will."