Surprise!
When I hear the word “surprise,” I hear it in Jim Nabor’s Gomer Pyle voice, “surprise, surprise, surprise.” Those of you who are too young to remember this character from the black and white TV sitcom, Gomer Pyle USMC, need to Google it! It’s a classic!
Surprise on the Water 😊
My husband Jody and I recently went on a cruise. Cruising is great! It is full of beautiful ports of call, sunshine, delicious food, entertainment, and much more. We love to cruise and invite you to try it for your next vacation- but when you cruise, you must prepare yourself for very small accommodations, especially the bathroom. It is tiny! I’m talking as small as an airplane bathroom, but with a shower in it! As a claustrophobic, I deal with it because I love tropical ports of call, but the bathroom is my least favorite part of the cruise experience.
On the first night aboard on our last trip, Jody woke up in the middle of the night and had to go to the bathroom. The boat was rocking a bit, which made for some great sleeping, but made walking a bit challenging. At the entrance to the bathroom, Jody jigged just as the boat jagged. He literally fell into the bathroom! As Jody was going down he instinctively reached out to break his fall. He caught the water controls in the shower and turned on the cold water … full blast!
“Surprise, surprise, surprise!”
Not the good kind of surprise, but rather the kind that makes your mouth say a word you would never say in church. BLEEP! BLEEP! Bless his heart. He was not hurt, but was startled and soaked to the bone!
I would love to report that I am the kind of wife who jumps to her husband’s rescue, but, I must admit, I am not. I laid in that rocking cradle of a boat bed and laughed and laughed and laughed. I laughed the entire cruise and every time I remembered Jody’s midnight SURPRISE shower. I started calling him, “Shower Boy.”
Jody doesn’t find this story funny, but I’m sure he will … eventually 😊.
Surprises happen, and when we least expect it. There we are, walking along with no concern at all when we get dropped, unexpectedly, into a cold shower. Or, there we are, driving our every-day route home when we all of a sudden we find ourselves in a fender bender, or worse. Surprises happen in our lives and in our marriages. Today I want to talk about the two biggest surprises I have found in marriage. I think you will identify with them too!
First Surprise: I married a sinner?
The first surprise happens in the first year of marriage. This is when you wake up one morning and realize your spouse is not the perfect person you had imagined. Your spouse stinks after a long day, wakes up in the morning with bad breath, is not always chipper, and has selfish desires and demands of you! Say what? Then you realize that your spouse is a sinner. And I’m not talking about random sins, but sins that affect you in biting ways! (Romans 3:23) Surprise, Surprise, Surprise! We are all sinners, even that picture perfect man you married!
‘for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God…”
Romans 3:23
Second Surprise: When did I become so sinful?
The second surprise is when you look in the mirror and are surprised by who you see looking back at you. “When did I become my Mom 😊?” True, but not part of today’s post. Instead, “When did I become so sinful?” Maybe when I married a sinner? I’m sure my spouse makes me sin! Nah, the more I spend time married to a fellow Believer, the easier my heart is convicted of sin and the more rapidly I repent. I now have an up close reflection of myself through my spouse. My sins are not secrets, but plain hard facts.
Sanctification through your marriage is God’s plan and goal. Give in. Ask God to use your marriage as a platform to sanctify you, and watch God’s hand at work making your marriage more powerful! So don’t be discouraged or surprised by your sin. Instead, be thankful that God is continuing to grow you up for His service!
Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
Colossians 3:1
Who is not Surprised?
God is never surprised. He knows you and your spouse well. He knows your struggles with sin and also the condition of your heart and faith. He knows the parts of your heart that you have allowed him to cleanse and the sins you still struggle with. Rest in our all-knowing God’s power and love for you. He sees your marriage clearly- both sinners, yet He still loves you!
Stay washed in the Word, friend! Stay humbled, repentant and love each other well!
“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing (Zephaniah 3:17)!”
