“ We have lost many things as we've passed through the battlefields of this war-torn world ... One of our greatest losses is the gift of wonder, the doorway into the kingdom heart.”
― John Eldredge
PSALM 73-74
1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, wea have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And web boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3Not only so, but wec also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
JOURNAL
Today I cannot help but think of Frosty the Snowman. Every time he comes to life his first words are, "Happy Birthday!" He awakens as though every day is a gift, every breath is a miracle, every moment is something to celebrate. Maybe that is how God intended us to wake each morning. Not burdened by yesterday, not consumed by tomorrow, but opening our eyes with childlike wonder to the incredible gift of another day.
With Marcella's birthday today, I am reminded that one of God's greatest gifts is not simply life itself, but the privilege of sharing it with people we love. Birthdays are more than markers of another year. They are invitations to pause and marvel that this person exists, that our stories have been woven together, and that we have been given another year of shared moments, conversations, laughter, hardships, and memories. It is easy to become so focused on goals, problems, and outcomes that we lose sight of the miracle unfolding all around us.
The battle Scripture describes is, in many ways, a battle for wonder. My darker nature wants to reduce life to transactions, control, fear, self-protection, and getting what I want. It pulls my eyes away from God's presence and toward my own agenda. But God's Spirit continually invites me back to awe. To see that He is holding my right hand, guiding me with His counsel, pouring His love into my heart, and surrounding me with countless evidences of His goodness. Wonder is not childish. It is the doorway to gratitude, worship, humility, and love.
Perhaps taking up my cross daily is also choosing to wake each morning saying, "Happy Birthday." Today is a new creation. Today is another undeserved gift from God. Today is another opportunity to love well, to serve others, to notice beauty, to embrace suffering with hope, and to become more fully the person God is shaping me to be. When I live this way, I stop merely existing and begin experiencing the Kingdom that has been available all along. Every sunrise becomes an invitation to wonder, every relationship becomes sacred, and every ordinary moment becomes another chance to celebrate the miracle of simply being alive in God's presence.
Psalm 118:24
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