The Wonder Of It All

 A hint of Spring warmth touches my cheeks as I drive, eyes scanning the immaculate landscape as music plays on the stereo. It was time to get out of the house... go take a break and recharge. Go look at something beautiful and refresh the soul. 

The past few weeks had been heavy with friends receiving difficult diagnosis news, others having surgery,  another one's marriage teetering on the brink of divorce, friends struggling with dysfunctional family, and world events shaking up the stability of all our financial, physical, and emotional norms. It's been a lot. Been challenging to keep the faith going strong and the heart still singing a song, even in the form of a lament. 

There have been days when it all just felt like too much. Too much uncertainty. Too much drama. Too much pain. Overwhelming. Swallowing. Sinking. 

And so, I did what I always do: I lifted my eyes to the hills where my Help comes from. Sunlight kisses towering mountains as fresh snow sparkles on their peaks and I remember the One who has carried me through... always. And I take a moment to wonder. 

Somehow, in all our rush and bustle, I feel we've lost something powerful in refusing to practice wonder. Our ancestors, devoid of all the technology and demands of our modern age, were more in touch with the earth and its Creator than most of us now because they had hours of open, empty time to listen to their thoughts, to wrestle with their questions, to pray and to reflect. To look around them and see this world He's made and just...breathe. Deeply breathe. 

Think about it: since most of them manually did their own labor by growing their own food and washing their own clothes by hand and cooking their meals from scratch and milking their own cows and all the like, there was a peace and a calm that induced deep thinking. Wondering. There was more room to be awe-inspired. 

Now, most of us just tell ourselves we're too busy, failing to realize that we all deeply long for something more. Something that only these moments of pausing can really, fully give us. 

Songs tick by one at a time as they speak of a God who is forever faithful, forever strong, forever with us. A God who is still in control and has never once left His rightful throne. Clouds slowly part as sun-rays increase and I make my soul worship. Drive those truths deep into my being. Because this is how I cause my mind to remember. How I command my soul to praise the King of Heaven in spite of how I feel. Because He is worthy, not matter what is going on in my life. 

It strikes me that there really and truly is such vast wonder to be had in this universe and created world of ours. There is the wonder of seasons and the wonder of intimate love and the wonder of melodious harmonies and the wonder of the written word. The wonder of limitless potential and the wonder of new adventures to be had. The wonder of trust between friends and the wonder of hope that carries us in times of distress. And above them all, the wonder that the God of Heaven chooses to love us. 

Sometimes I think we get disoriented in this crazy existence of ours because we lose sight of the fact that God invites us into this wonder all the time. Above the din of all the politics and unknowns and wild turns of events sits a holy Trinity in power who reigns and rules and directs all the happenings of this world for purposes only He can see but cares enough to deeply know and care about you and me. Amazing! 

If you're going to make it through the deep waters life asks you to wade in... if you're going to survive the fires you are called to endure... if you're going to keep breathing when everything seems to be sucking the air right out of you... you need to stop. And wonder. Be still, and know. 

Know that you are God's. Know that you are loved. Know that you are held and kept. Know that this is your Father's world, and you can rest your anxious heart in that thought. 

A few hours out and about, stopping in some shops and just getting a change of view, and I'm feeling better. Stronger. Calmer. Steadier. Because I know that the Hands that hold the world are holding me... holding you. Holding all our cares and concerns. Working all this ugly somehow for good because it's what He does best. What He does always. 

That's the wonder of wonders that thrills my soul, even in these heavy and confusing times. Because I have the comfort that some things hold fast, hold true no matter what. That Heaven rules, and I am safe and nothing can take me away from His side. Promises that I know I would forget if I didn't stand still from time to time and allow myself to see the salvation of the Lord, the provision of the Lord, the protection of the Lord surrounding my heart. 

Maybe we need to pray for ourselves and each other what Elisha did for his servant in 2 Kings 6:17-20: "Open [our] eyes." Make us wonder, God. Leave us speechless. Cause us to stand in awe. Because sometimes, we're too consumed with life to be consumed by You. And You know we need a little reminder when the fears and the worries and the stress gets too much. As the servant saw the heavenly armies surround the city, may we know the surrounding peace and hope and care of You within our midst, leaving us to fall on our knees and bless You. 

None of us know about tomorrow and there will always be things we fail to understand but this we can trust in however hard the road: we know Who is holding tomorrow because we know Who holds our hand. Whatever may be in store for any of us is still guided by the wise care of the One who loves us beyond any shadow of doubt and is using all these valley moments to help us feel His presence and sense His love. 

As daylight gives way to dusk, and I pull into the driveway, I tell God I want to see. I want to stop being blind to most of life because my problems are too big in my view. Lyrics blast as I sing along...

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord. I want to see You.