Tag: ponder

Christmas Wonder

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I wonder as I wander out under the sky,
How Jesus the Savior did come for to die.
For poor on’ry people like you and like I…
I wonder as I wander out under the sky.

When Mary birthed Jesus ’twas in a cow’s stall,
With wise men and farmers and shepherds and all.
But high from God’s heaven a star’s light did fall,
And the promise of ages it then did recall.

If Jesus had wanted for any wee thing,
A star in the sky, or a bird on the wing,
Or all of God’s angels in heav’n for to sing,
He surely could have it, ’cause he was the King. (John Jacob Niles)

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Growing up, when I started a conversation with “I wonder…” Mom told me to be careful because if I ‘wondered’ too far I’d get lost.

Maybe getting lost in a little wonder wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Who couldn’t benefit from adding wonder, curiosity and amazement to their life?

It makes me sad that there is so little true wonder. Sure, we wonder where we put things, and how we’ll pay the bills. We wonder about the future…but it’s more like fear.

Listen to the conversations around us: everything is “amazing” or “awesome.” But is it really?

What makes you go “WOW!” Clear down to your toes?
What takes your breath away?
What causes you to shake your head when you try to make sense of it?

The Christmas story does that for me.

After 400 years of silence, of wondering where God was, he burst onto the scene in the most amazing and unexpected way.

A baby, a manger, a carpenter, a teenage girl in a small town.

Go figure.

Go wonder.

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Who do you think you are?

This morning they showed this picture of earth from Mars. Pretty small. But not as insignificant as the anchors insinuated.

It reminded me of David’s words in Psalm 8:

1 O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!
Your glory is higher than the heavens.
2 You have taught children and infants
to tell of your strength,[b]
silencing your enemies
and all who oppose you.
3 When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—
the moon and the stars you set in place—
4 what are mere mortals that you should think about them,
human beings that you should care for them?[c]
5 Yet you made them only a little lower than God[d]
and crowned them[e] with glory and honor.
6 You gave them charge of everything you made,
putting all things under their authority—
7 the flocks and the herds
and all the wild animals,
8 the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea,
and everything that swims the ocean currents.
9 O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! (NLT)

And the awareness of John:
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! (1 John 3:1, NIV)

Not working has given me a lot of opportunity to sit and think. I know I’m supposed to be writing, but I haven’t been able to. Instead I’ve been quiet and thinking; pondering and wondering. And feeling.

Not being “busy” affords me much time to feel. And cry. I watch an episode of “Bones” and I get teary. I read posts on people’s blogs and I weep. I dive into scripture and I am overwhelmed by the lavishness, the extravagance of God’s love for me…for us.

You may think you’re pretty important, but go back and look at the picture of the earth from Mars. You are a tiny speck on a speck in the universe. And yet God gives you authority over your little corner of the speck.

And of all the specks on the specks he decides to call you his child.

It’s not who you are…it’s whose.

Ponder that perspective for a while.