Do you allow yourself the chance to wonder? Do you stop and dream with the belief that your dreams can come true? Do you pause and remember that your future is already planned and in God’s hands?
Since the plan is in place – take some time and “wonder”. I did this naturally as a child, but as an adult my perspective has changed. Wonder comes with strings attached and as soon as this happens, the wonder is gone.
I was blessed by attending a two day Catalyst Conference this week that began the process of opening my heart to wonder again. If nothing else, I learned that without wonder we are stagnant. There is a beauty to wonder that should free us from the worldly ways of asking “how will this work” at every turn. The gift of taking the time to dream and allow God to open the doors to what’s next can only come with wondering. So let’s take a minute and remember childhood memories that opened our eyes and our hearts to the “wow” that comes with new beginnings.
Memories of …
- Seeing candles lit on a birthday cake
- The first time you experienced snow
- Riding a bike by yourself
- Hearing your parents say “I love you”
- A butterfly circling you as you played outside
- A rainbow stretched across the sky after a rain shower
- The first time you realized you could read
Each memory as a child stopped you in your tracks and provided a “wow” moment because it was unlike anything you had ever experienced before. Each moment seems rather ordinary now as we bring up these memories as an adult. But God knows that our faith and our relationship with Him grow the more we seek wonder in our lives.
In a world in which we spend more time resisting change than embracing it, wonder is the key to making all the difference.
Wonder increases our openness to believing we can do more than we think we can.
God knows we are fearfully and wonderfully made. When are we going to believe that?
Wonder allows us to believe our future can look so much better than our present.
We begin to imagine a life that is wonder-filled because we have a God who is wonderful.
Wonder awakens us to moving forward and accepting change.
When we wonder, we have found the catalyst for change. Our beginnings look different than we imagined because God takes our “wow” moment and fills us with the knowing of “we can” rather than “we can’t”.
[Tweet “We begin to imagine a life that is wonder-filled because we have a God who is wonderful.”]
When we wonder, people around us begin to do the same. There is power in the example of imagining a future that looks different than our present. We feel hope when we choose to move forward rather than staying stuck where we are.
May we be a resurrection people who remain wonder-filled because we know God has conquered the grave and saved us from our sins not a doubt-filled group that questions and needs tangible proof to believe God is in our future.
“Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.” John 4:48
Let me leave you with a final quote from Andy Stanley.
May you allow yourself to wonder and imagine what’s next without worrying about the details.
Sabbath blessings,
Mary
** This post is dedicated to my son Daniel and his wife Kayla for showing me how to dream and look at my future with wonder.
Linking with Lisha @Give Me Grace
Love this, Mary! Life is Wonder Full. Lord, give me eyes to see. 🙂
Thank you Lyli! Our Lord gives us eyes to see the wonder and we need to choose to keep them open. Blessed you stopped by!
Hi Mary! It is a great thing to look at life like a child, with that wonder and awe. When do I participate in that? That’s a good question for me.
How fun that you were able to attend that Conference this week! Getting together with other people and being inspired to move must have been a really powerful experience. I hope that it will be just one of many wonder-full things that move you toward your dreams. I think Jesus would like that very much 🙂
Blessings,
Ceil
Moving toward my dreams and God’s dreams for me is exactly where I would like to go. God’s timing is perfect and waiting seems to be on the agenda at the moment. Being with a church full of amazing speakers and leaders was every inspirational and such a blessing for me. My heart is open and ready and I pray that I can embrace the wonder of what’s next. I’m praying that you find the wonder in your own life too.
Beautiful wonder! I love the wonderful images evoking a wonder spirit to look and see, and be wonder struck!
Be wonderstruck, indeed! It’s all there ready for us. We just need to open our eyes to the possibilities that come with wonder. Thank you for joining me here today.
Mary … I’ve never before linked up WONDER and the word WONDERFUL.
I leave here enriched and a bit inspired.
To think I never connected these words.
Duh …
I’m glad you had an “aha” moment while visiting today. God is good at leaving his footprints of understanding where we least expect them.
I so long to be wonder-filled of our infinitely wonderful God! When I was a child, I think my “wow” moments often happened when my big brother would show me something new in or about nature. He still does that today. 🙂 When I really see and soak in God’s beauty through nature, I am still with wonder. God’s creation always relaxes and refreshes my weary soul. This morning I took a photo of a male mallard duck perched on top of the rooftop next door. My husband asked me why I take pictures of the same thing every year. I replied, “Because it never grows old. I am in awe every time.” 🙂 Thank you for this reminder to be resurrection people filled with wonder, Mary. Blessings and hugs to you!
I hope I never stop taking pictures of the same thing too. I love sunsets and see it every evening out my back patio window. It never fails to captivate me. That is wonder. How lucky were you that your brother opened up your world to the all the beauty that is present? I am praying that we all keep our eyes open to the wonder that is right before us. Blessings and hugs!
Love this, Mary! “We begin to imagine a life that is wonder-filled because we have a God who is wonderful.”
You’re writing about my word for the year, and I think I’ve forgotten it the last month, so thank you for your words today.
How fun is that??? I love the word wonder and was blessed by hearing it on so many levels at the Catalyst conference last week. I would love to hear how God is using this word to change your life this year. Blessings and hugs!
You have put your finger on an area of need in the heart of this tired, middle-aged mama. I’m challenged with the truth that I need to be a lover of resurrection truth, a woman of the Book who loves the truth and rejoices in its impact on my life. I get so bogged down sometimes in the disappointments and the heaviness of life. Thanks, Mary, for writing about wonder on a plain old weekend . . . that is soaked in grace!
Michele- Your words describe how I feel many days too. Life is overwhelming and there is a heaviness that we embrace not because we have to but because we choose to. The wonder and dreams that might have carried us forward seem to become more distant as we take on the challenges of life and let those rule us. I am truly blessed by my son and his wife because they make dreaming look so easy. They are an example that it is possible and it’s all because they know without a doubt that God is the Keeper of their life. I’m blessed that a small piece of wonder made it into your ordinary weekend.
Mary,
I really think that God wants me to get this message. I’m so busy crossing things off my list and rushing on the next thing that I lose the beauty to pause, give thanks, and then – yes – wonder what God has in store. I always think that I’ve got to come up with “the next thing”, but God’s the one whose got this and when I pause to reflect and wonder…He fills me in on His plans. Thanks for solidifying this message to me today…
Blessings sweet friend,
Bev
This message was written more for me than for anyone else if I am honest. I need to seek the wonder in my own life. I have beautiful examples in my son and his wife, but I end up making everything so much harder than it needs to be. God is always the one who is the keeper of our plans and when we turn it over to Him we are given the chance to wonder and dream it all into being. I sure am blessed every time you stop by, Bev. Thank you for sharing such great insight and encouragement.
Mary, so sweet to dedicate this to your son and his wife. Wonder was the theme at my youth conference back in January. So much THIS: “In a world in which we spend more time resisting change than embracing it, wonder is the key to making all the difference.”
My son and his wife continue to show me what it looks like to dream and encourage me to do the same. I would love to hear more about your conference and how they incorporated wonder. My inspiration was the Catalyst conference that I just attended. Thank you for taking the time to be here and for your sweet encouragement. Blessings on this new week!
“May we be a resurrection people who remain wonder-filled” – oh yes! As a woman who so often reacts negatively to change, this is a welcome perspective on it. Change is inevitable, but accepting and moving forward with open arms is a choice we can make so that it feels hope-filled rather than overwhelming to us. In noting and recording what I see as ‘beauty in the everyday’ on my Instagram feed, it has helped awaken my eyes anew to wonder. As has observing our little grandson who lives, loves and embraces new things with wonder and joy dancing in his eyes most of the time! Thank you, Mary. This is a beautiful reminder of how to live with deeper gratitude in a fallen world. Blessings. Xx <3
I love how you look for beauty in your everyday and am blessed when you share the photos on social media. I agree that taking the time to look for wonder not only blesses us but blesses God too. I pray we all feel the capacity to seek wonder and know that God placed it there just for us. Praying you have a beautiful week! Thank you for kind words that never fail to lift me up and bless me.
Mary, what an encouraging post! I agree we need to bring back wonder in our lives. We need to trust and be in awe of our Creator and what He is doing in the world and in our lives. Thank you for reminding us to wonder! Blessings to you! xo
The joy of being wonder-filled like a child is something I want to embrace and know in my own life. I think it starts with just believing that it is possible. I pray we feel the awe of God as we go throughout our week. Thank you for blessing me by being here and leaving such kind words. Hugs friend!