Don't Lose Your Wonder

When God created all of heaven and earth, He created it with an ebb and flow. Seasons that ebb and flow…come and go…with no one making it happen, except our Creator. Nature ebbs and flows. Time ebbs and flows. And our life ebbs and flows. As I look back over my life now, I don’t think I recognized the ebb and flow of life when I was a young wife and mom.  The days were endless. My to-do lists were countless. The demands I felt were at times relentless. Instead of recognizing life’s seasons as a natural ebb and flow, understanding that they would come for a while and eventually pass, I fought against those seasons instead of embracing them. But as I’ve grown older, I see them more now. I not only recognize the ebb and flow of life seasons, I have learned to embrace the seasons and even enjoy each season as they come. Even the hard ones. And in doing so, I’ve gained a greater sense of the wonder of God’s creation and the natural ebb and flow of life that He created from the very beginning of time.My husband and I recently moved to the country and WE LOVE IT!!!!  I realize that country living isn’t for everyone, but for us, in this season of our lives, it was the best decision we ever made!In the country, absent of the sounds of the city, nature speaks very loudly. The birds chirping, cows mooing, wind blowing, coyotes howling, chickens clucking, all the sounds of nature are loud…and beautiful…and peaceful…and wonderful.Psalm 65 speaks to how God cares for the land, how He has ordained all of nature to sing His praises, and how very attentive He is even to the smallest details of the world He created us to live in.

“The grasslands of the desert overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness. The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they all shout for joy and sing.”  (Psalm 65:12-13 TPT)

As I read this chapter recently, I thought how easy it is for us to lose our wonder at all that God has created just for us!  Often times, we are so busy in living our lives, and have so much noise around us, that we don’t take the time to look around to SEE and HEAR the wonders of God that He’s given us.  All of creation is singing the praises of their Creator, but we are too busy checking off our to-do lists to hear them. The ebb and flow of life…the wonder of God’s creation.Children still have their wonder. They are mesmerized by caterpillars and butterflies. They want to stop to watch the ants or listen to the birds or pet a stray dog.  But we rush them along because of all that we have to do and instead of our learning from their eyes of wonder, we squelch that wonder because we’re just too busy to stop to watch, to listen, to hear all that God is wanting to speak to us…through His creation.There have been times in my life that I’ve lost my wonder. And you probably have too.If God can create and manage all that He’s created in the world, can He certainly not take care of you too?  Can He not tend to what’s weighing on your heart? Can He not intervene in a situation that’s keeping you awake at night because of your worry? Can He not carry the burden on His shoulders that’s crushing your shoulders?

Jesus speaks these words to us in Matthew 6: “Do not worry about your life ~ look at the birds of the air ~ your Heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not more valuable than they are? See how the lilies of the field grow ~ they do not labor. If God clothes the grass of the fields, will He not clothe you too?  So do not worry ~ your Heavenly Father knows all that you need.”

The ebb and flow of life. The wonder of creation.  Birds are fed… flowers bloom and grow… rain is sent from heaven to nourish the earth… seasons change and life goes on.  And God manages it all so beautifully, without worry or fret.Have you lost your wonder? Have you not recognized the beautifully orchestrated ebb and flow of your life?  Have you not surrendered to the fact that the God of all creation is even more attentive to your life and all that concerns you?  And if He can manage all of creation, He most certainly can tend to you?We cannot reclaim our wonder if we don’t slow down, listen, observe, and surrender our worries to the One who can handle them.Take some time today and find a quiet place to allow God’s wonder to have place in your life again.There is a big, beautiful, wonderful world out there created just for you!!