Don't Lose the Wonder

"O the wonder of it all, the wonder of it all,
Just to think that God loves me!" -G.B. Shea

Once upon a time, my husband was the guest preacher at a church and we sat at the front, near a staff member. After some singing, a white-haired man, robed for baptism, gave his testimony. He had been in military service and said he had lived his life apart from God. Tears filled my eyes as I heard him tell how he had recently found Jesus and wanted to follow Him in baptism.

But just as the baptism started, a staff member near us leaned over and told a humorous story of a time he had baptized an unusually tall person. Later, as a family with two children walked down the aisle during the invitation, this same staff member asked us if we were going back to Dallas that afternoon and whether we had plans for lunch. I was saddened, because it seemed this person had lost the wonder of it all.

When church is also our family's "business," we are vulnerable to getting too used to the things of God. Our families are there whenever the doors are open. Literally! We come early and stay late. And unfortunately, church life often involves unpleasant politics. There are people who want to control and criticize. All of that can easily make us lose sight of the wonder life with Christ is meant to be.

Contemplate these ways, which God shows his majesty, omnipotence and love for you. Recapture the wonder.

• The Eternal God, from Everlasting to Everlasting, has made a way for you to communicate with Him. Amazing!
• God is your rightful priority. Keep Him there to keep the wonder.
• Special people are in your church and other parts of your life. Notice them with your mental magnifying glass. They are a wondrous blessing.
• Jesus left heaven for you. For you! What a breathtaking thought!
• Reflect on the time Christ came into your heart, changing your life and your eternity. That is the greatest wonder of all.

Here are a few verses of Scripture that can remind us of God's spectacular ways. Ponder these:

• Jeremiah 1:5 I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb.
• Exodus 15:11 Who is like Thee, O Lord, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
• Romans 8:15 You received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father".
• Genesis 1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
• Psalm 147:5 His understanding is infinite.

The grand hymn, " O Worship The King" describes the majesty of God with beautiful poetry:

O tell of His might, O sing of His grace,
Whose robe is the light, Whose canopy, space!
His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form
And dark is His path on the wings of the storm.

Oh my friend, don't lose the wonder of it all!

Kathleen Hardage, wife of Executive Director David Hardage, recently retired from her career as a teacher in public schools. She and David have been in the ministry since 1981, and she loves the life. Kathleen and David have two children, John and Rebekah, daughter-in-law Melissa, and granddaughter Anne Marie. They are a family of sports fans. Kathleen also loves history, reading and teaching in a weekly Bible study.