Wonder of the Season

Where’s the wonder gone? Like, is this really all there is?

This boring busyness and bluster. Flirting with and flitting about here, there, and everywhere. This season, plus all the year long. Focusing on things that never sustain long-term. Filling in the cracks of life with mere silly putty instead of crazy LOVIN’ glue, of the real AND living variety!

Because I wonder all the time why time is flying and I keep filling life up with things and stuff and times that never truly satisfy. That have no real meaning and purpose in the end. And I miss the wonder in the minutes and moments and faces that forever fly right by before me.

I miss what matters most because I’m stuck loving the lesser things instead of the least of these. Over and over again.

And then it hits me today. Listening to a sermon after starting this post yesterday…

Isaiah 9 tells us what it’s all really about. Because God’s Word really does have all we need! “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given… And he will be called Wonderful… [And] of the increase of his… peace there will be no end. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.”

And in the gospel of John, verse 1:14, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen (beheld) his glory [character, Who He IS at his core], the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

And I can start to see the wonder again. And the real meaning of living and loving again. Can you?? We see, or behold, God with us, Emmanuel. The only reason for living and, of course, this season. The real and only true WONDER of this known world.

See, we’ve been given this gift. A gift unlike any other. A Person who lives to serve and, yet, always existed. A Person who chose to step off His throne in heaven and into our sin-soaked, weird and wild world to save us from ourselves. To point us to our true purpose. To bring us back to Himself, in perfect communion and oneness. To rid us of the basic and boring and help bring about His Kingdom on earth and then us home to our rightful place in heaven.

His original intention before pride made its *damning* entrance.

And now I just wonder if I can contain my wonder at all He actually IS. All He’s done. All He’s sacrificed so I can flit about and flirt with other loves and wander away from Him in my busyness and bluster, instead of daily walking in His presence and beholding His Glory and being held by His love and grace and mercy in all things, but especially this day’s things.

I wonder if I can even stand in the presence of all His WONDER?! I wonder if you can stand with me? I wonder if we each may set out to intentionally prepare Him room this season, then invite Him to stay in every season thereafter? I wonder if we can let go of all the lesser blessings and hold tight to the One and Only that has chosen to make His dwelling here among the least of us? I wonder if we can be honest with ourselves and others that we wander often, or maybe have never truly beheld Wonderful the way we say we have? I wonder if we can walk this road together, holding the Holy Hand of Grace and Truth, receiving His mercy in our time of need and in the peace only found in His presence?

I say YES! Boldly and in love. We can do this, people! So let’s set out to accomplish it, okay? Pull up a chair and stay a long, beautiful while this holiday season, because The Gift of Wonder is present and presently among us. Always. Glory be!