Wednesday, June 16, 2021

Cultivating the Ability to Be Surprised

The poet Jan Richardson says we must “set aside our inability to be surprised.”

Are you still able to be surprised, or does one day blend into another—the same problems at work, the same conflicts with family members, the same chores to be done?

Surprise can break us out of our ruts and give us fresh perspectives, but we have to cultivate an attitude of anticipation and train ourselves to look for the unexpected. For example, Sebastián Di Martino, director of conservation at Fundación Rewilding in Argentina, wasn’t looking for a wild giant river otter a few weeks ago when he was kayaking on the Bermejo river—why would he? They were thought to be extinct. Then one reared up out of the water and he was able to snap a picture of it. Surprise! Wildlife is more tenacious and resilient than we thought!

If we give God half a chance to surprise us, we will notice opportunities to heal relationships, a green thumb we never knew we had, a new approach to a vexing situation, or support from an unexpected source. Is this magical thinking? No, it is trust in a God who continually makes all things new and invites us to join in the joy of creativity, wakefulness, and the promise of sustenance.

 

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