Awe, Amazement and Wonder!

Woosh… They flew in on a Sunday night and were off again by early Wednesday morning before the crack of dawn!  And so went the adventure with our oldest son Josh, his lovely wife Trinity and their lively two girls.  But it was worth every second of it… even if my wife, our dog and I are totally wiped out today!  Our normally super-energetic dog finally gave up last night and found a quiet corner in the living room to lie down and catch her breath for a while.


It was an action packed few days.  On Monday we spent the afternoon with our oldest daughter in tow as she had the day off and ventured to downtown Raleigh and the Natural Science Museum so that we could catch the special Dinosaur Exhibit.  After that we came home, walked the dog, got some real Southern BBQ for the California gang and spent the evening at our home catching up on just about everything.  I like to help Piper with dinner while sitting on the couch as it helps her to stay in a more upright position while she eats.  The kids and grandkids packed themselves around the kitchen table and talked unceasingly!

I think one of the things both Piper and I enjoyed the most was all the noise of a large family in the house again!  Piper was wide awake the whole time and closely tracked all the action around her.  The grandkids love their Mema and jumped up on either side of her on the couch to snuggle and talk with her (and play with the Dog and laugh with me all at the same time)!

Yesterday we went out to Umstead State Park about fifteen minutes away from our home.  The girls were all excited as they finally got to ride in a convertible!  I had bought each of them an elastic wool beret and they felt and looked pretty cool in the back seat with hats that matched Piper’s!  I could hardly stop laughing as we drove down the wide boulevards on the way to the park.  The girls were a nonstop blur of waving hands, constant chatter and exclamations of “Wow… This is soooo cool!”  And behind us their parents followed in our other car while Trinity took pictures of the arms and faces that kept popping up from the back of the Mustang.

Last night I watched the girls so that their Mom and Dad could drive out to the country and look at some property.  I helped them make a super concoction of just about everything they could find in the refrigerator for the “surprise desert” when everyone arrived for dinner.  For a while I just stood back in amazement and enjoyed their energy and excitement.  They definitely experience life as one wonder after another!  They seemed to have the knack to turn any adventure into an awe filled event to marvel at.

This morning as I read from I Timothy 6:11-12 in the Message Bible, I got the definite idea that this was the same way that Paul expected his young protégé to personally experience and then teach others concerning their Christian walk.  He declared: “ But you, Timothy, man of God: Run for your life from all this (love of money, trust in natural things and natural reasoning and gossip as listed in the previous verses).  Pursue a righteous life – a life of wonder, faith, love, steadiness and courtesy.  Run hard and fast in the faith.  Seize the eternal life, the life you were called to, the life you so fervently embraced in the presence of so many witnesses.”

According to Dictionary.com “Wonder” means “to be filled with admiration, amazement, or awe; to marvel at.”  As I read and meditated on this for a while, I began to look into my own Christian walk and observe if I experienced it in my day to day life in constant awe, amazement and wonder.  My answer was sometimes yes and sometimes no!  I must admit that the trauma of my wife’s health challenges has caused me to be more thankful and in wonder over all the “little miracles” that occur.  Even the most seemingly insignificant positive changes in Piper’s health give me great reason to break into shouts of praise and the dancing of a little jig!

When you step out your front door on a beautifully clear, crisp, sun-shiny morning like we are experiencing in North Carolina today, do you take a moment to stand in wonder and enjoy that which the Lord has done for you?  Most mornings I find myself singing a short ditty to Piper as I kneel down by her side to help her up for the day that includes the words from Psalm 118:24 voicing out that “This is the day that the Lord has made and we get to rejoice and be glad in it!” (Personalized KJV).  That verse always seems to get intertwined with just about any lyrics I am making up at the time in order to cheer her up first thing in the morning!

I think that confession of God’s truth helps to brighten our day and get us focused on the awesome, wonder-filled ability and power of Papa God!  What do you think about that?  Does your daily Christian walk awaken feelings of awe, amazement and wonder within you?  According to the Apostle Paul it should!  So keep that in mind as you go through the rest of your week… and while it was fantastic to have our kids and grandkids around us again to renew that sense of excitement and wonder in our lives, that same sense of wonder should be peeked within us every time we pray, read our Bibles or share Christ with others!  Wouldn't you agree?

Have a great mid-week.  Stay in tune and excited in and by His Word, and keep asking yourself… “What or in Whom am I expecting to be in wonder over today?”