Wonderstruck (20 page)

The great news is that you can share what you’re discovering online. Beginning on the first day of each month, a new group of men and women from around the world are going to be praying for wonder. They’re going to ask God to open their spiritual eyes to his goodness and presence in fresh ways, and you can join them! The conversation will take place on my Facebook page (facebook.com/margaretfeinberg) as well as on Twitter (@mafeinberg) and Pinterest (pinterest.com/mafeinberg). We’re inviting you to post your experiences, your aha moments, and your photos that display what you’re discovering along the way. With each post, simply use hashtag #livewonderstruck and look for others who are on the same journey with you.

To help guide you through this month, a different activity is provided for each day. Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit with each activity—you may find a few that you sense God nudging you to spend several days practicing and experiencing. Each night, you may find it helpful to preview the next day’s activity so you wake up ready and expectant to discover the wonder.

The wonders of God surround you. Prayerfully spend some time reflecting on those things that prevent you from awakening to the wonder of God. Write them down, and then ask God to remove those obstacles that prevent you from experiencing him more. Ask God to make you supernaturally aware of the Spirit’s presence and leading over the next thirty days. Consider sharing online some of the obstacles you wrestle with. (#livewonderstruck)

Reflect on the wondrous gift of time. Pull out a calendar or day planner and spend fifteen minutes considering all that’s on your schedule for the upcoming two weeks. Consider marking which activities fill up your time versus those that fill you with life and provide opportunities to awaken to the wonder of God all around. Prayerfully consider what changes—including cuts and additions you need to make to your schedule—to awaken yourself to the wonder of rest and a healthy rhythm in your daily life. Make sure you have time built into each day for the remaining days of the challenge.

Look for wonder through a camera lens throughout the day. Carry a camera or your camera-equipped cell phone to snap photos of God’s beauty, grace, love, peace, and joy all around you. Share these beautiful moments of wonder with others—online or in person. Upload and use the hashtag #livewonderstruck.

Nothing awakens wonder inside us like breathing hope into the hopeless. This morning ask God to awaken you to someone who others have given up on. Prayerfully consider how God may want to use you to impart hope and encouragement in this person’s life. As you drive down the block, consider each neighbor. As you pass through a downtown area, consider every person hustling to and from work. As you walk through a park, consider the single parents playing with their children. Ask God to rouse you to the needs of those around you and use you to bring the wonder of restoration to others.

Creation beckons us to open our eyes to the wonders of God. Look for a place outside where all you can see is God’s creation. If you’re in an urban area, consider visiting a park and lying
down under a tree where all you can see is its branches and slivers of sky above. Spend fifteen minutes simply sitting or resting in that place. Pay attention to the details—the textures, the colors, the intricate care with which God formed creation. Allow yourself to spontaneously respond to God in thanks and worship, celebrating the wonders of creation all around.

Unforgiveness holds us back from fully experiencing God’s wonder. Sometimes the hardest person to forgive is yourself. Take fifteen minutes to prayerfully consider any things for which you’ve had a hard time forgiving yourself. Record them on a blank sheet of paper. Then take a few moments to forgive yourself for each one. After you forgive yourself, rip up the sheet of paper as a sign of keeping no record of wrongs. Allow yourself to celebrate the forgiveness God offers you through Jesus. You are a wondrous child of God! Spend some time thanking God for the way he created you and the redemptive work he’s doing in your life, and walk in the wonder of forgiveness.

God often chooses to reveal the wonder of himself in quiet moments. Sit in silence for twenty unbroken minutes. Set an alarm, if need be, so you know how much time has passed. Keep
paper and pen nearby to write down any fluttering thoughts. Embrace the silence then invite God to speak. Reflect on what you hear in this posture of listening. Pray that God reminds you of people for whom you can pray. Ask God to bring scriptures to mind that he wants you to consider. Enjoy the wondrous silence of just being in God’s presence.

In choosing to be fully present with someone, we can experience many wonders. Spend a few moments reflecting on your schedule for the day. Who could you spend a half-hour or hour with and be fully present, fully yourself? Maybe you have a coworker you could invite to lunch. Or one of your children whom you haven’t been able to give full attention to lately. Find a place and a time—whether it’s in your dining room or living room or a park or coffee shop—where you can be fully yourself and warm your soul in the glow of both knowing and being known.

God’s sanctuary in the sky awaits us all. Take fifteen minutes to look,
really look
, at all the lights in the sky—the disc that is the moon, the Milky Way, the stars, even the planes that shoot across night’s canopy. Even if there’s light pollution, take note of the shadows and the textures above. As you observe the lights—those
created by God and others crafted by humankind—reflect on the promise God made to Abraham thousands of years ago that his descendants would be more numerous than all the stars in the sky (Genesis 15:5). Consider God’s faithfulness in your own life and journey.

Wonders await in the stillness. Depending on the time of year, prepare a cup of hot peppermint tea or pour a glass of sweet tea. Fill a mug with dark hot chocolate and marshmallows or open a can of Cheerwine—whatever your favorite beverage may be. Then find a quiet room, a comfortable chair, and sit still for twenty minutes. Your only movement should be nestling into the chair and occasionally sipping your beverage. Allow yourself to be fully present in the moment—aware of your hands, your feet, your spine, every aspect of your body’s position. In this place of pausing, talk to God. Tell him what’s really on your heart and mind. Share with him things you’ve been afraid to say aloud. Give yourself wholly and fully to God in prayer and experience the wonder.

Some of God’s greatest wonders await us when we allow ourselves to dream. Spend twenty minutes today creating a list of
things you’d like to see God do in your life and the lives of those around you. Write down things you’d do, places you’d visit, and situations you’d encounter if anything were possible. Ask God to lift the lid off your prayer life and begin believing him for things you previously thought impossible. Walk boldly in the wonder of divine expectation.

Wonder awaits us in our prayer lives. Set aside twenty minutes today to talk to God, but instead of conversing with God as you normally do, consider limiting prayers to three words each. Take note of the challenges and joys you experience. Reflect on what it means to be intentional with each word as you lift your praises and petitions to God and rediscover the wonder of prayer.

Gratitude provides the opportunity to celebrate the breadth and depth of God’s wonder. Take twenty minutes today to write a letter to God—maybe even a love letter. Express your affections to God. Thank him for all that he’s done for you and all that he has yet to do. Thank him for those big and little and long forgotten things and allow your soul to dance in the wonders of gratitude.

Life is one of God’s greatest wonders. Much of your life is spent giving, serving, and working. But today the challenge is to do something that makes you—just you—feel rejuvenated, refreshed, and brings you joy. A high-energy sports activity. A meal at your favorite bistro. An hour of knitting or enjoying your favorite craft. A coffee date with a friend. A great novel. Spend at least thirty minutes—but preferably one hour—doing something today that makes you grateful to be alive and rediscover the abundant life that awaits you each and every day.

God’s wonder meets all of humanity at dawn, but we often sleep through it unaware. This morning set your alarm to awake before sunrise. You can check online to find out what time the sun will poke its head above the horizon where you live. Before you nod off to sleep, ask God to reveal himself to you in a meaningful way in the morning. As you awake and watch, pay attention to the first shafts of light. Observe the softness of dawn, the hues of the sun’s first rays, the illumination and beauty all around you. Lamentations 3:22–23 says the Sunrise Maker’s loving-kindness “is new every morning.” Spend some time reflecting on how God has displayed this truth not just in the sunrise but throughout your life. Let the wonder of God’s creation break through
your soul like the morning’s first rays. And don’t forget to thank God for meeting you this morning.

Apart from rest, we can sleep through the wonders of God. Though your schedule may be full, consider what you can do today to imbibe rest as one of God’s greatest gifts. Perhaps you can sneak in a catnap. Or allow your eyes to rest midafternoon. Or climb into bed an hour early. Look for twenty minutes or more when you can just rest—allowing your mind and body and emotions to recalibrate. Drink in rest to awaken more fully to the wonders of God all around.

Wondrous delight is found in the presence of God. With a blank sheet of paper and pen in hand, along with a Bible nearby, begin making a list of the characteristics of God. Write down various names for God. Record attributes of God. List promises of God. Then spend some time thanking God simply for who he is and offering words of adoration to him. The wonder of God’s presence awaits you.

Portraits of restoration surround us, but sometimes we walk by such beautiful work unaware. Look around your home for something that needs restoring. A wall that needs touch-up paint. A piece of jewelry that’s lost its shine. An appliance that needs to be fixed. A piece of furniture that needs to be refinished. Instead of waiting another day, begin the process of repair today. As you work, consider the wondrous work of restoration that God has done and is doing in your life.

People are often the couriers of God’s wonder in our lives. Take some time to look around. Make a list of the people who have made a difference in your life. Express your gratitude to three of them. Pick up the phone. Send an email. Write a handwritten note. Whatever form of expression you choose, know that as you express your appreciation, you’ll be encouraging them to continue serving and helping others. Sit back and watch the wonder of gratitude unfold as you love those who mean the most to you.

When we choose to get away by ourselves or with others—even for a half-day or overnight stay—we rediscover God’s wonders as we recalibrate our lives through a shift in perspective. Today is the day to plan that getaway you’ve really been meaning to take. Talk to your roommate or spouse. Find a babysitter or pet sitter. Call your family. Text your friends. And set the date for a minivacation. You don’t have to spend much money. You don’t have to go far. You can enjoy a “staycation” by reserving a night at a local hotel or even pitching a tent in your own back yard. Don’t wait another day to schedule a break and enjoy the abundance of the life God’s given us.

Pray for pixie dust today. Ask God to shower you with his grace, favor, and delight. Then live wide-eyed for the unexpected ways God may answer. Live with an awareness of divine expectation today.

God’s creation invites us to open our eyes to ten thousand wonders. Take twenty minutes to carve out time to watch the sunset and admire God’s handiwork. Consider setting an alarm so you
don’t miss it, and invite a friend. You can check online to find out what time the sun will dip below the horizon where you live. Depending on your location, you may want to travel to a hill or tall building nearby to catch a better view. Observe the sky and the shape of the clouds. Watch how the light shifts and changes ever so slowly. Look for colors and hues, even if it’s a cloudy day. Spend a few moments thanking God for his wondrous goodness and gifts—which he shares with all of humanity day in and day out. Upload a photo of the sunset and use the hashtag #livewonderstruck.

Wonder thrives in the element of surprise. Give a joyful gift to someone who least expects it! Stop by a coffee shop or local restaurant and purchase a few gift cards. They don’t have to be large amounts. Then spend some time asking God who you should give them to. Keep an eye out for unsuspecting people all around you and look for the opportunity to be a conduit of God’s blessing and goodness.

Forgiveness unlocks the wonder of God in our lives. Spend twenty minutes asking the Holy Spirit to reveal any people, situations, or organizations in your life where you harbor
unforgiveness. On a blank piece of paper, write them down as they come to mind. Write until you can’t think of any more, and then forgive each one. Ask God to forgive you for holding unforgiveness in your heart. Then spend some time blessing each one. Don’t wait another day to experience the wonder of forgiveness.

Though we are given names before or shortly after we emerge from the womb, our names are often reflections of who God has created us to be or the work God wants to do in our lives. Do you know the meaning of your name? If not, take a moment to search for the meaning of your name online. Then spend ten minutes prayerfully reflecting on how God has demonstrated his love and goodness in the meaning of your name as well as who he has called and created you to be. Take time to reflect on the wonder of God’s plan and provision for you.