5 day challenge

I enjoy surprises. Even people who “hate surprises” generally like it when someone has thoughtfully purchased a gift, provided a change of scenery or left a love note or encouraging card on a desk at work. Over the years I’ve noticed how easy it is to bless someone with a thoughtful and intentional surprise that can truly change the course their day. I thought today would be a great time to start 5-day challenge of intentional surprises. Will you join me? Whether you pick the same person to bless for five straight days, or you look for a chance to bless five different people, set a plan in your mind to bless people with kindness!

Jesus was great at surprising people, and I’m pretty sure He enjoyed doing it. In fact, the very first miracle Jesus did was a big surprise. He was at a wedding when the master of ceremonies hit a rather uncomfortable moment. In Jesus’ day, wedding feasts lasted for days, and usually a good host would bring out the best wine at first, and after people had probably indulged a bit too much, he would bring out the cheap box wine to finish things off.

Well, either more people showed up than expected, the wedding planner was a cheapskate or there was more consumption going on than anticipated but at the end of a few days, the wine was gone. This was more than a social faux pax, this was serious cultural shame and reflected badly on the new couple!

In steps Jesus with a big surprise. When it looked like everyone was going to have to start celebrating with plain ol’ water, Jesus helped prevent cultural shame, saved face for the bride and groom and made a happy ending to a potential disaster. In fact, when He turned the water to wine the guest of honor said that normally the worst wine was saved for last, but at this party, the best wine was brought out the end. Jesus didn’t just provide wine, He provided the best wine! (John 2)

When we live the Overboard Life, we are growing in our walk with God, learning to focus more on Him, and less on ourselves. We are learning to live out Philippians 2, striving hard to meet the needs of others, not just our own needs. Taking time to intentionally focus on surprising people each day, is a great way to think about what others need, and how we might be a conduit to provide help and blessing.

So will you join me? Five days of blessing others with surprises? I think we’ll all realize that as we look for ways to be a servant and blessing to others, there is no shortage of opportunities -- we just need to be willing and available.

Go ahead and take the plunge, life is always better on the water!