Delight in the Unexpected

Read: John 20:1-18

Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). (v. 16)

“Mom, come quick! You have to see this!” My children rushed in the back door. I was arm deep in dishwater, but the delight on their faces told me to stop what I was doing and investigate. “Mom, the sky is smiling!” they said, almost in unison. When I peeked out the back door I saw a small rainbow that looked like a smile above my garage. I later learned that these are called “fire rainbows” (circumhorizontal arc is the technical term) caused by light bent through flat ice crystals high in the atmosphere. The smile lasted mere minutes. If I had insisted on finishing the dishes first, I would have missed it.

When Mary went to the tomb that first Easter morning, she went with a heavy heart—after all, a tomb is a place of death. Yet, in this burial tomb, Mary found hope instead. She was so surprised, she couldn’t see Jesus clearly at first. But when Jesus called her name, she knew and rejoiced.

Every day God invites us to take delight in the unexpected and out-of-place, but we can be so focused on what’s in front of us that we don’t notice. We might be distracted by a phone screen, by the to-do list we’ve made, or simply by the busyness of our lives. God is calling to us, “Come quick! You have to see this!” —April Fiet

As you pray, ask God to help you slow down and notice the unexpected.