The WONDERS of our WONDER-ful God

On their daily EMnation YouTube video, my daughter held up a loaf of Wonder Bread and mentioned that Alexia, her daughter, prefers her peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on white bread. Obviously nutrition wasn’t the topic of Larry and Staci’s video, but the “Wonder Bread” story was. In 1921, the Taggert Baking Company of Indianapolis was planning to launch its 1.5 pound loaf of bread. Elmer Cline was charged with finding a name for the new bread. Inspiration struck while he was visiting the International Balloon Race at the Indianapolis Speedway. He was awestruck by a sky filled with hundreds of colorful balloons. To Elmer, the image signified a sense of “wonder,” and Wonder® Bread was born. Notice all those balloons on the packaging! Now you know the rest of the story. You’re welcome!

That word, “wonder” is what inspired me most. There’s something about children that God wants us to see. If you want to witness a natural display of a sense of wonder, just observe a child. A child's whole world is viewed through the eyes of wonder and excitement. A child has no judgments of why things are so, but rather a child is in awe of life and views life through innocence, purity and curiosity. You may have often heard the term "be childlike," referring to our adult self to let go of the adult ego and be more open and curious. The truth is that we lose our sense of wonder as we become adults.The future is wide open for them, and they seem to know it. Their wide-eyes of wonder are easy to recognize. Wide-eyed with wonder, filled with potential, children are ready to try new things and build new possibilities. Unhindered by the past, they are free to chase after whatever the future holds. And you know what? That’s the childlike spirit that God wants to give all of us.

There is no theme park or even the seven wonders of the world to compare to our “wonder-working” God. Think of it: The one true God is a God of wonders. The Bible is full of accounts of the great acts God performed for His people. Psalm 77:11–14 says: "I will remember the deeds of the Lᴏʀᴅ; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds. Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples." God’s wonders are supernatural acts beyond human understanding. Through extraordinary signs, the God of wonders demonstrates His limitless power, His inescapable presence, His divine protection, and His sovereign purposes. In each instance, God’s wondrous works are designed to draw people to Himself. Through His most stunning of all miracles, the God of wonders revealed Himself in Jesus Christ, overcame the power of sin and death, and redeemed His people for all eternity.

So, when you are “wondering” about your mistakes, that you are too old, too wounded, too limited, too whatever……I suggest that you remember --- with wide-eyed wonder -- about our loving and faithful God Who is up to something WONDER-ful in your life. None of us are so bound by our past that God can’t open new doors for us in the future. Our Father has great plans for us. He has a future full of hope laid out for us. Now it’s up to us to run into that future with all the confidence of a little child Whose Dad is the WONDER-worker and miracle-maker.

Celebrating THE NAME

I'm so grateful to be with my girl this weekend before her birthday on Monday (tomorrow).  One day isn't enough to celebrate her -- I need several days.  What a precious treasure she has been to me.

We already had a beautiful son who was 2-1/2, then it was almost time for our 2nd child to be born. Back in those days, most of us didn't know ...boy or girl... until they were born.

Even though I knew I would be thrilled with either (it was going to be Robert David if he had been a boy), I had a glimmer of hope that a little girl would be born to us.  I'll never forget my husband exclaiming...."Sweetheart, you've got your girl!"   How grateful I was then, and how grateful I am today that God gave me her.

I'm remembering the anticipation we had for the day when she would be born.  Of all the names we thought about if we had a little girl.....we finally decided on Staci Michelle.  Staci means "resurrection life" and Michelle means "close to God".  WOW!  God certainly guided us to that name, because she has been true to those definitions.  In so many ways, she brings resurrection life to just about everyone she encounters --  helping people experience a fresh new life from one of rejection, defeat, depression, darkness, pain, and indifference .....because she is so "close to God" and that closeness magnetically draws them closer to HIM.

I don't tell you this to impress you, but to impress upon you how important it is to calculate, ponder, pray for and get God's vision for your children, AND the name you give them.  He had that vision for His Son that gives us a perfect  example to follow.  Staci,  being born in December, draws my attention to Gabriel's announcement to Mary in Luke 1:30 "And, behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and you will call his name Jesus."   I love that Isaiah 9:6 even gave definition to His name before He was born,  "And He will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

What we name our children shouldn't be a mere conglomeration of letters that we put together as a convenient way to refer to them.  God proved that when He named His son Jesus --  that name that is ABOVE all other names, that descibes His personality and gives  interpretation of His character traits. He has lived up to His name and it gives us hope, life, and blessing.  Indeed,  names are important!   How awesome that His name is THE ONE like no other!