Childish ways ... child-like wonder

I read an interesting blog, http://10stepstofindingyourhappyplace.blogspot.com/2012/08/i-gave-up-childish-ways.html and realized it wasn't until many years after I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior that I saw God’s world with wonder and mystery.

I write what I perceive, but I now believe some of my perception is off. Every child, every person, is different, and how we view the world around us is perhaps more determined by our childhood, our family life, than simply saying at age 7 we’re a child and at age 21 an adult.   

When I wrote the following on Dec. 7, my description of childhood wonder was seen through the eyes and heart of a 61-year-old. 

A child,
filled with
wide-eyed wonder,
surrounding.
Gazing sweetly,
enjoying moments
enchanted with all before them.
Eager to search and see,
fear has no meaning.
The world is open to explore

My childhood wonder disappeared by the time I was 8. Santa Claus didn’t exist, my parents divorced, second grade was a nightmare I wouldn’t ask anyone to go through. I saw no wonder, no mystery, not much beauty, only pain and heartache and ongoing struggle.

I finished high school and graduated from college, started a career. Seeing some of the wonder, but not all of it; not knowing there was something better, not knowing what it was I needed.

By the time I found what I needed, I was 29 years old.  I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior at age 31. I married at 40. 

Twenty-one years later I have regained some of the childhood wonder I lost so many years ago. I see the beauty of God’s world. I laugh with less maturity and more childish delight. I understand, not like a child, but with more trust and faith in He who made me who I am today and who I have yet to become. I rejoice that Jesus came to earth for all of us, so lost, some still so far away. He came because of me and because of you.

I am still a child, yet not. I did mature. I did grow wiser, smarter. Yet in some ways I am a long ways from being mature, from being very wise or very smart. When I am smart, I study God’s word, I spend hours reading His word for me on a given day. When I am smart I know how little it is I do know. Only in Him do I become smart.  All alone, when I rely on myself, I do stupid things, say stupid words and act stupidly. I can see I have not given up childish ways. Anger and pity and fear and anxiety all strike and I am lost.

My parents are gone. I cannot rely on them. When I did rely on someone, it was generally my mom, to help me get past the so very dark days I often found myself in. 

But the reliance I truly needed was not to be found in any other person. Not my mom, not my husband. It could and can only be found in my Lord Jesus. He brings me through all my difficulties when I give it all to Him. Giving your whole life to Him is what needs to be done. Succeeding at giving Him your all is so much easier said than done. It doesn’t come all at once.  

God waits for us. He leads us, guides us, and if we are wise, we allow Him to do so and we gratefully follow and are obedient to His command.

Life is not easy. Sometimes you think living one place is easier than another. Sometimes you think living near loved ones will bring you comfort. You wonder how to cope when a loved one dies … human or pet … love is love. We are lost, so so lost.   

Have you ever stopped to think what God did just to bring us hope? He came to earth Himself, as a baby, the baby Jesus. Christmas is a time to celebrate His birth. It shouldn’t matter if He was born in December or June; Dec. 25 is the day His birth is celebrated.  We are reminded how great God’s love is for us in John 3:16-17 -- "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."

The birth of Christ Jesus is truly a miracle. A wondrous mystery, lying dormant, hidden from our hearts until we are awakened. That awakening is something splendorous to behold. The Light has come into the world and we have been given a glimpse. Our doubts turn to faith and trust. We believe in He, the Almighty  One.  We see the wonder, the mystery. We see His grace. We see His love. And we are forever changed.

We are a child of the King Most High. A child … we give up childish ways, but we retain child-like wonder as we look with eyes aglow at all of God’s magnificence and glory.

We wait for His coming

Christmas
Advent
The season of waiting,
a lifetime of waiting
for Christ Jesus, the Son of Man, to come,
to return,
with power and glory
on a wingless cloud.

He has redeemed us
Us who believe in Him
and follow Him
and obey His command.
He is our redeemer
His promises
have come and will continue to come
to fruition.

We reach out to another in hopes to bring them to the Lord.
We cannot push or pull or prod
But we can pray

The end is near
For centuries the end has been near
But nearer now is the time that is drawing to a close
Watch and wait and be still
Yet continue with His work, whatever He has set you about to do.
Do it wholeheartedly. Do not stop.

The Lord has sent you out into the world to be His  voice, His hands, His feet.
Do not delay.
Do not come to self-thinking conclusions that you are not good enough, have made too many wrong decisions.
The Lord forgives.
Do not listen to family members and friends and others who profess faith but cast doubt.
You are of God.

You believe Jesus, God's only begotten Son, was born to the Virgin Mary, born to die, born to save His people - every man, woman and child from the evil that keeps us focused on the dark side of life.

You are of God.

You have overcome, through Him, the powers that seek to destroy. God is stronger, mightier.

"You are of God. He who is in  you is greater than he who is in the world."
(1 John 4:4)

You have the spirit of truth in you. Do not listen to the spirit of error and deception.

Do not remember the lies that keep you locked in a house without doorknobs.

Go on. Move on. Follow the path He laid out for you. Go forth. Do the Lord's will. Stand against your foes, His foes.

You are of God.

God is stronger. God is with you wherever you go.

"With God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26)

Do not become sidetracked. Do not give in. Do not let your fears take you away from all the Lord has for you. Age is not a deterrent. Health is not a deterrent. A lack of faith is what keeps us stuck in one place or moving backward.

Jesus knocks.
Standing wherever the least be He is
He waits
Waits for us to say yes, to become one of His

Believers wait too.
wait for Him,
His return
His second coming

Some wait for Santa
but even he waits for Jesus' return
even Santa knows the real reason for the season

It is advent.

The days of waiting are upon us.
We rejoice, looking forward to what is to come with great anticipation.

Christmas ... is the day Christians celebrate the birth of Christ.

But the days preceding are advent
and in those days we sing Alleluia! and praises to our King

Lift up our eyes, our hands
watch for He who is Faithful and True
He whose birth we celebrate,
whose death we mourn,
whose resurrection gives up hope and a new life.

The days of waiting will one day be finished
and there will be a new earth and a new heaven.
and we shall see Jesus.