May We Never Lose The Wonder
"The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” Luke 2:20
The proud grandmother turned her phone for me to view her favorite Christmas picture. There was her very own little Christmas angel all decked out for the festive season. I smiled with great delight as my heart filled up with a longing that I instantly understood.
What was this deeply stirred emotion?
I want to be her, this precious little angel. Her face is the picture of childlike wonder. That is it! I want the wonder expressed by a child. Webster defines it as “a cause of astonishment or admiration; marvel; miracle; to feel surprise.”
Somewhere in life, wonder and awe easily gets lost underneath the heaviness of everyday, ordinary life. The cares of this world seem to creep in like a Grinch stealing our joy and wonder of life.
Unlike us grown ups, children seem to not be hindered by all the worries and anxieties that fill our adult-sized hearts. They live in trust that someone bigger than them is taking care of all their needs. They live free expecting the next wonderful thing. We would do well to learn from them to live trusting our amazing Father to take care of us. Free to enjoy His many benefits and blessings.
The Shepherds knew this wonder. After finding Christ the newborn King, “they returned glorifying and praising God.” Jesus waits to be seen and known every day of our lives. His surprises await us, but our hearts have grown cold and our worries cloud our view. Within Him are surprises to be discovered everyday.
Have you lost your wonder? While digging through the Christmas decorations, let’s take time to dig down into our hearts and be awakened to the awe and wonder of this most wonderful life we have in Christ Jesus. Come, let’s draw near to the manger and stare at the beauty of our King. As we look around us to see His handiwork, we too can declare the glory of our God!
“Lord awaken us to the wonder; the mystery, astonishment, miracle and surprise of you. The greatest gift ever given waiting to be unwrapped.”
Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, “We have seen amazing things today!” Luke 5:26 (NLT)