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.

Awestruck at the Awesomeness of God

The longer I live and the places I get to go, the more awestruck I am by the majesty of God. What a genius He is! I bask in His meticulous handiwork everywhere. This last week I found myself in awe of Him even more while at the Sea of Cortez where all kinds of driftwood, shells, extraordinary plants and birds are everywhere. I even found 3-leaf clovers on a rock wall and had the opportunity to talk to my grandson about St. Patrick and how he used the 3-leaf clover to describe the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Thank you, God, for your brilliant way of helping me teach a good Bible lesson!

Bryson and I are the beach scavengers. The many varieties of seashells are the most amazing to me -- washed up from the sea or ocean and are scattered all along the beach. They certainly pull on our imaginations. Intrigued, we pluck them up from the sand to gawk at their colors, shapes, and sizes or hold them to our ear to hear the echoing sea.

My Bryson is the animal-of-any-kind lover so he was very bothered when I pulled a very-attached shell off a rock! “You’ve killed it, Nana! How could you?” My ignorance of shell life, as well as my sympathetic whine, helped my plea for forgiveness! He forgave!

To this gal, growing up on the prairies, seashells represent just about the most exotic and attractive natural objects on earth. But, what is most impressive is God, our Creator, Who came up with the idea of these seashells that offer marine animals some protection from predators with that rigid thick support that enables them to eat (and avoid being eaten), move and reproduce. The diverse forms, sizes, patterns, and colors reveal so much about the creative, imaginative, all-powerful, all-knowing, God we love, know and serve.

Laura Story, composer, and Chris Tomlin, recording artist, put this song on the map -- and its words explain how I felt in God’s vast domain this week:

"From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea
Creation revealing Your majesty.
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring,
Every creature unique in the song that it sings.
All exclaiming!
Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God!
All powerful, untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God!

Incomparable, unchangeable
You see the depths of my heart and You love me the same
You are amazing God!"