Surprise

Things are not always as they seem to be.

I was recently in Target with a bunch of high school students.

Wait. Let me back up.

December is a unique time of year. We smell things, see things, hear things, and do things that we rarely smell/see/hear/do throughout the rest of the year. Like go shopping with a big group of senior high youth.

That’s not typical for me.

Really.

December is also a popular time for giving. And it’s a time when we more easily remember others. Like our favorite charities. Or old friends and distant family. Actually, I think this is one of the best things about the season. It’s a nice balance to the self-centeredness that our culture promotes. A little more than usual, we think about family, friends, and people in need. I’m not sure why, but we do.

For our high school youth group at church, some of the people we remember are recent high school graduates – particularly those studying at college, perhaps for the first time away from home, likely studying for their first round of college finals. So what could we do? Send real mail…a care package.

So 27 of us went to Target. I wasn’t the only adult, thankfully. But we still looked like quite an odd mob of people, gathering in the front of the store, waiting for the last of us to arrive.

As I was calling out directions to the group, I saw a security guard out of the corner of my eye. A minute later I was interrupted by the guard and the store manager.

“Excuse me,” the manager said; “can I help you?”

“No,” I though it my head. In respect to him, I do admit we looked like a curious assortment. But what did he think we were going to do? Rob the place? Wreak havoc? Play capture the flag? (I’ve actually done this in other department stores…guess I’ll think twice before doing it in Target.) The security guard and the manager must have looked at us, and thought “trouble…this can be no good...we don’t want this to get out of hand.”

Things are not always as they seem to be.

Our appearance was motley, but our purpose was generous and kind. And somehow 20 care packages got put together that night.

Like the store manager, our eyes have limited sight when it comes to matters of faith. Our imaginations can be too rigid. We look at the world and most of what we see looks like trouble.

War…AIDS…terrorism…tension…disagreement…slander…gossip…marital infidelity.

As Christians we strain to see a different reality, one in which God is breaking into. Even when evidence points to the contrary, we confess that the kingdom of God is near and is coming closer all the time. Somewhere in the midst of things, God is there. God remembers us, and God in Jesus Christ is working to bring the whole world home.

What looks powerless and meager, or even like trouble, might actually bring peace and love.

What looks like a group of troublemakers are agents of God, bringing encouragement to others.

You just have to look with eyes of faith.

Things are not always as they seem.