“And Jesus got up and followed him, with his disciples. Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from a flow of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak.” – Matthew 9:19-20 NRSV
I did not get a deer this year. This is not unusual, but this year I have an excuse: I was hunting with my 4- and 5-year-old grandkids. They were not exactly quiet or motionless. Every deer in the county knew where our stand was. I hadn’t originally planned on taking them out with me, but when my son showed up with three kids in tow, I offered to take the younger two with me.
We watched the squirrels play, the birds flit from tree to tree, and a beautiful sunset. I answered a hundred questions, and they ate an entire bag of Halloween candies (don’t tell their parents). It was a day I’ll remember for a long time, even if it wasn’t what I had planned on. There is a quote often attributed to John Lennon, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”
Much of Jesus’ ministry happened while he was on the way to somewhere else. While Jesus was going to Jairus’ house to heal his daughter, he was touched by a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years, and he healed her. While Jesus was passing through Jericho, a blind man cried out from the crowd, and Jesus restored his sight. When Jesus took the disciples by boat to a place where they all could get a break from the crowd, they discovered a new crowd. And Jesus had compassion on them and began to teach them, too.
Life doesn’t always go according to our plans, but there are blessings to be found even when our plans fall apart. May you receive an unexpected blessing this week, even if it’s not something you planned on.
Pastor Mark