Do you recall the first Christmas you can remember? Can you remember feeling excited and happy? You might not remember all the details, but you probably remember a gift you wanted or that special gift you got. You might also recall the smell of Christmas cookies or the sound of holiday music. And you might recall seeing beautiful lights. Those memories are special because they were some of the first times we felt “wonder.” Wonder is when we feel excited, happy, and surprised by something new. God made us so that we would love to feel wonder.

This week our focus is the “wonder” of Jesus. Wonder is a word used throughout the Bible to describe awe and reverence for God. David describes how wonderful God is in all that He does. How we best connect with God is through pondering His awesomeness (in the truest sense of the word).

We worship God when we feel a sense of being overwhelmed by his greatness and goodness. David says, “Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare.”

Isaiah’s prophetic description (Isaiah 9:6) of the promised Messiah starts with “Wonderful.” This meant that the Messiah would be amazing and much better than anything or anyone else.

Today, lots of stuff can be disappointing and not as good as we hope it will be. For example, the coffee shop is out of toasted white mochas again, or our coworker drops the ball and fails to do their part of the project. Even life’s littlest disappointments can drive us toward anxiety. When that happens, we worry more than we feel wonder or amazement.

This holiday season, may you orient your mind and heart to look for the extraordinary in the child of the promise, even while grappling with the disappointments of the everyday ordinary.  

For Today: What is causing you to worry instead of wonder? Flip the focus. Turn your worry into a moment of wonder and worship God.