Day 59 - Wonder

"How do you pick up the threads of an old life? How do you go on... when in your heart you begin to understand... there is no going back? There are some things that time cannot mend... some hurts that go too deep... that have taken hold. "

Frodo Baggins

The Lord of the Rings

Is Frodo right? I think so, mostly. It doesn't mean that forgiveness has not been won. It simply means, there's no going back. There's only forward, and that is scriptural. We forget the former things, God is doing a new thing. 

I love watching and re-watching this movie. It's a favorite, old friend, as it holds so many truths dear to me - those of friendship, love, courage, and goodness.  There is no defeat, only success. There is no loss, only gain.  And so it was. And so it is, and so it should always be.

The end announces the day of the King, a time when all work together to rebuild a kingdom of truth and righteousness, working together as a team with a common purpose. I wait anxiously and expectantly for our day of the King that is coming very swiftly as we stand and fight for what is godly, righteous, and true. Our soon coming King, Jesus the Christ.

Tolkien was a genius, and I so wish the stories would continue. They bring comfort.  I need that. Last night in our Bible study, a small gathering of only three, but we discussed the "wonder" of life, how it has been lost. Wonder is simply found in the commonplace things of this life such as the dew on the grass, the smell of a rose, the sign of the rainbow or twinkling of a star. Today there's a need to label or classify every living organism without considering the simple joy of creation. We are too busy to take the time to enjoy the peace a gentle rain allows, or the smell of the rain on the earth, nurturing and aiding the growth of the new crop. We have lost the wonder of all these things.

Last night while we were inside, snug and warm enjoying the fellowship of Christian family, snow was freshly falling.  Oh the beauty of freshly fallen snow. God heard my prayers for this wonder of wonders. This morning when I awakened, it was still snowing, so I rushed to get my camera, so I could attempt to capture the beauty I witnessed, the blessing God allowed me to see.

Now tucked inside the warmth of the home He has graciously provided for me, I can dream of days as a child when I made snowmen, ate snow cream, and tramped through the woods on blankets of snow. I can enjoy this day, drink hot chocolate, play music of a time when the world slowed down and enjoyed the beauty of life and friendship and sense of family and purpose. A life I miss, a life I dream of having once again.

For now I am content with my dreams, because I know in Whom I have believed. And because I have not stopped dreaming, and I have never lost the wonder. Here's a story I'd like to share:

"Several years before his death, a remarkable rabbi, Abraham Joshua Heschel, suffered a near-fatal heart attack. His closest male friend was at his bedside. Heschel was so weak he was only able to whisper; 'Sam, I feel only gratitude for my life, for every moment I have lived. I am ready to go. I have seen so many miracles during my lifetime.' The old rabbi was exhausted by his effort to speak. After a long pause, he said, 'Sam, never once in my life did I ask God for success or wisdom or power or fame. I asked for wonder, and he gave it to me.'"

Have you lost your wonder? Do you catch your breath when you see a rainbow and remember the promise that it holds? Do you search to see the Man in the Moon? Do you marvel at the intricate beauty of a spider's web, fresh with the dew of the morning? Or a mother bird feeding her young?

I challenge each reader to ask God for wonder in your life. It will be a true legacy to leave your children and your grandchildren, and it will refresh your soul and rejuvenate your longing and satisfy your desire for simply living.

"Do you want to build a snowman?
Come on let's go and play."