The Need For Wonder | Part II

Read Time: 12-20 minutes 

 

— The Need For Wonder—

PART II

Continued…

Hello, Sweet Friend! 

In the last post I did, I talked about wonder. This is part II (since this turned out to be a longer post than I thought and I think this will be easier to read in two parts XD)! 

Enjoy! 

All Speaks To a Creator | Part I 

So now we have gone over the fact that if everything we know and see has been made by someone then something so wonderful as nature all speaks of a creator. So logically there must be a creator. 

There must be. 

(Also, if you are confused about what's happening and didn't read the first part, here is the link to catch up: CLICK HERE)   

I want you to picture this… 

A Short Story…

An author takes up his pen with ink and sits down. His hand hovers over a fresh sheet of paper. It is void. A blank piece of paper with nothing on it, only emptiness. An author’s worst nightmare or greatest dream.

Sweeping his eyes over the face of the page…he writes his first words. On the page light appears. Light and darkness comes to the scene but it is not evil.  Day and night pass, the first day of his work. He says of his writing, “It is good.”

On the second day he comes back to his little wooden desk. A new sheet of paper is ready for him to pen his work on. He sits down and holds the pen over the page. Pressing the pen down, ink spilling over the blank sheet of paper, he writes of a dome. A great dome that separates the waters of the world on the page into two parts—the above waters and the below waters. The sky and then everything else the waters. Day and night pass, the second day of his work. 

On the third day he takes up his pen and finishes his work from the day before. The below waters he writes will separate and gather together so that dry land can appear—a world—a planet—Earth is born on the page. The water now gathered together becomes the Seas of this world. The author smiles down at the words on the page—the world that is being created and formed by his words—and says warmly, “It is good.” Not yet ready to stop writing, he sees the dry land. Just dirt and rocks—an unfinished thought. From his pen plants and trees and flowers and fruits of every kind and colors—fresh and vivid—are born on the page. He nods and says, “It is good.” Day and night pass, the third day of his work. 

On the fourth day he grins. How much he loves to write and how excited he is to be writing and creating this world. The world has day and night, the dark time of day and light time of day. But it is unfinished. So pen to page, he inks into the sky lights. Beautiful lights beyond counting through he knows each and every light in the sky by heart and by name. One light he makes bigger and brighter to light the Earth—this planet he is creating and loves. This one rules over and guards the day—the light time of day. He makes a smaller light—a nightlight—to rule over and guard the nighttime for that is when the world sleeps and rests. To aid the smaller light he also creates many smaller lights to dance and watch over the sleeping earth and guard dreams and be a marker for times passing. Each of them were set in the dome—above the above waters. Day and night pass, the fourth day of his work. 

On the fifth day he sits at his desk and shuts his eyes. Thoughtfully he writes about what will live in the dome—in the above waters and the below waters. In the dome and above the earth swarms of birds—winged creatures with colorful and soft feathers—of every shape and color fly across the page. They spin and sing and dance in the sky. It brings a smile to the author's face to hear and think of such beauty. Then to the below waters he makes every kind of water faring creature. Big and small and of every kind and manner of appearance. With a little mischievous smile he thinks of what would be wonderful and scary to see. Great sea monsters and dragons who spew fire—a Leviathan and mighty sharks with teeth like the sharpest rocks. There are creatures of all sorts and all—even the scary and maybe you would think ugly ones like a droopy faced fish or the smallest little organism that no one would be able to see or even feel—he loves and thinks are wonderful. He blesses them and tells them to live and multiply and indeed they do just as he says. Day and night pass, the fifth day of his work. 

On the sixth day, full of excitement, he sits down to write though really he feels like jumping for joy. For today will be the day he has been thinking of since before there was even the first day. This day he has been thinking of and wishing for since the beginning…his plan all along. 

At first he lets his mind wonder and imagine all the sorts of things that would be wonderful and interesting to him. The land, even with its many fruitful and beautiful plants, feels empty. It was so for a reason, for this day. So he makes animals to live in the land—on earth. All manner of wonderful, helpful, mischievous, creeping, slithering, dancing creatures all to live on the land. He sees this world he has created and all that is in it and with a full heart he says, “It is good.” 

Now comes his favorite part. The thing he has been waiting for since this all started. The reason for this world with all its beauty and wonders. He makes mankind. Man and woman both in his image. He gives to them life, rule, and wisdom. He places character traits and things important to him inside of them. He sets them above all the rest of his creation. For they are the ones he loves. The ones he thought of so long ago but really was a moment a second in time from this. He blesses them—his beloved creatures—and sets them to rule. He looks at the whole world and all he made and smiling he says to them all, “You are made for good.” Then day and night pass, the sixth day of his work. 

On the seventh day, now tired, he rests. There will be more to pen and work on later. More to do. This is only the beginning of this story and he knows hardships are ahead. He doesn’t want there to be hardships in his world he made and loves. But he wants them—the man and woman he created to love him. Looking down at the page he knows they will never really love him unless they are given a choice—a choice to love or hate him. Though it breaks his heart he gives them such a choice. A choice to choose. A choice to destroy themselves if that is what they wish. 

Already he can see it happening. He knows that one day they will fall and not choose him. One day he will leave this place, his writing nook and place of safety and dive into the page, into the world he created, but it won’t be for enjoyment. 

He will put himself through the very thing his creatures will fear and cannot defeat. Death. For death will be there in this story. But it will not win. No, this is his story. He has a plan. A plan to go down into his story, to die for his beloved creation even when many will hate him and will not remember that it was he who created them, he who loved them so much he created this world for them. In this story he will defeat their sin and death. They will get the chance to live with him here in his home for it really is a grand home with many rooms all empty and waiting. 

He has work to do, rooms to build onto his house to prepare for them—his creation—his adopted children to come home. This was home—this was real—not the world of page and ink. They—his creation—will get to choose to come home with him or to be only that…words of ink on a page that will one day burn up and be nevermore. A choice he is giving to them all this time before right here at the start because he loves them. Even now he sees all those who will come into this world and story and each of them he loves. 

Tears fill his eyes. He knows not all of them will make it. He will do everything in his power to save them but at the same time he knows it is not real love or choice if they can’t also choose not to have him. So they have a choice and he waits to see what they will do. He will be there for them and to help them. He will do what he can to keep them on the path he made for their stories but they—in having free will and the ability to choose—can stray and go off the path he set for them. 

It's the only way for it to be real…for them to be real…for his sacrifice to be real. 

Closing his eyes, the author rests but still is there. He doesn’t leave where he is. He always is thinking of his creation and watches what they do. For even though he doesn’t bring the pen to page—though there are times and days he picks it up to make things happen and to save or punish—the ink travels across the page and changes and shifts. For he is the maker of the ink…of creation…but in making man in his image…he gave them the gift and ability to create. 

The ink flows and drips wherever the creation goes…it takes on a life of its own but never outside of his power. He can always change the story. He can erase things and moments. But just because he can doesn’t mean he always will. For again it wouldn’t be real. It wouldn't be a choice if he always made his creation do exactly as he pleases. Though it would make things much easier. 

He sends down ink, laws, angels, speakers, dreamers, prophets all who listen to him and work to save his creation but his creation rebels time and time again. They listen to things that are untrue and think it's true. It breaks his heart to see his creation so blind and manipulated. 

Still, he holds on to hope for he is hope. Long before even the world was created he knew the ending. Though man will change and fall and try to be their own masters over their life…he knows the ending of this story. He set it into motion long ago. It will come to pass. He will win in the end. 

Before he does he wants to bring as many of his creation—his beloved children—with him. He is patient. He will wait for them…for as long as it takes until it is time for him to take them home. 

All Speaks To A Creator | Part II

So this is a picture. A way to imagine a story—God’s story in a new light. This is a fictional story but it is based on the creation story in Genesis—the moment when God creates the heavens and the earth, the moment when he creates us. 

Me and you. 

Isn't that incredible? Isn’t it so wonderful to know that God made you? To know that he saw you before you were born. He designed you with love and purpose and care. He did not make a mistake with you…He cannot make mistakes. 

Just think…God saw the world and thought that YOU were needed in this world for this time. You are quite literally made for such a time as this. God set you here. I could totally go on a tangent about this topic (which I did in my post about Using Your Gifts & in my Esther Study) but I want you just to think about this. 

Really think about it. 

Soak it in. 

God. Made. You. 

He loves you. 

He made no mistake in making you. 

He has a purpose for you (if you so choose to follow Him and be faithful then He will complete that purpose). 

You are fearfully and wonderfully made. 

Before you were ever thought of, He saw you and knew you. 

He made you to live here, with this family, in this city, in this country, with these friends, in this time for such a time as this. 

His thoughts—His love for you—is greater than all the stars in the heavens and grains of sand on the earth. 

Do you realize how much He loves you? 

Thinking this all through…how can you not be filled with wonder? Wonder and awe that God did that. That He made you. That HE LOVES YOU. That HE DIED ON THE CROSS FOR YOU. That HE WANTS YOU. 

Be filled with wonder for all that God has done. 

An Invitation 

I invite you to wonder. To see not just the beauty and splendor of creation—the flowers all dressed in the most beautiful colors, the painted sky, the roaring ocean that obeys God’s every single command, the birds who sing, the trees that grow, the stars that dance and shine, the very fact that earth is placed and tilted in the exact right place and right degree and angle for life and that if it was any further closer or degree shifted there would be no life on earth and everything would be dead—besides that, and yes I want you to see that and feel wonder and excitement and possibly even fear—anything really besides complacency, numbness, or just used to creation—I also want you to feel wonder in knowing that all mighty, all knowing, all powerful, all seeing, all present, all good, full of light, is love, is peace…God made and loves you. 

Sometimes I think we, myself included, can lose the sense of wonder and awe and gratitude that should come from being a Christian and knowing all that God has done for us. Sometimes I think we can become almost numb to the Bible and to God and His message of good news because we know the story, we know the ending, we know that Jesus was raised up from the dead, we know our sins are forgiven in Him, we know God loves us, we know…we know…we know. I think that can dull the message of the Bible just because we get so used to it that it doesn’t hit us or excite us and we can kinda just skip over it. Maybe that isn't for you but I know in myself there are times when it just hits me that I’m not taking this in and I’m not responding as I ought to. It should be making an impact on my life and I’ve gotten so used to it that there is no more impact. 

Your Favorite Character 

Imagine a story where the main character is your favorite character in the whole world. You just love this character. Who they are, what they represent, all of it. 

Then they die. Your favorite character has just been killed. What do you feel? You’ve been on this long journey with this character and you love them with all your heart and they are killed. It is the worst thing. 

And then…they come back to life. AHH!!! Your favorite character ever is now alive! They are back! You are probably freaking out right now. 

But then you realize…they (your favorite character) died for YOU. 

Your favorite character sacrificed their life to save yours. 

Your favorite character is actually a real person. You can have a relationship with the character you love so much. Your favorite character actually wants a relationship with you. 

That’s Jesus. 

He died for you because HE LOVES YOU. He is the main character of the Bible, the person the whole bible since the very beginning has been pointing to and leading up to. He is the king of kings and lord of lords. He died for you. He died. He was dead. Utterly and completely dead with no heartbeat or pulse or breath left in His body. A corpse. Dead. But He was raised from the dead—He came back to life from being a dead corpse—on the third day and He defeated death and our sin. He did that for you, because He loves you, because He loves the world (all people), because He loves His children—His creation. 

He did that. 

That’s incredible. 

That's awe inspiring. 

That…feeling that…knowing that…experiencing that…that is being filled with wonder. You can feel that everyday. Look for wonder and you will see it. Wonder is all around you—it is everything around you…everything that God has made. 

Look and find wonder. 

It's all around you. 

Job 38

This was quite a LONG post. I’m about to leave you, don’t worry. But…I want to encourage you to read Job 38 and look for wonder in creation. 

I have it written out down below and you can skip reading it if you want but I wanted to have it here for you if you’d like to read it! I highly recommend it! <3 

Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind:

“Who is this that questions my wisdom

with such ignorant words?

Brace yourself like a man,

because I have some questions for you,

and you must answer them.

“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?

Tell me, if you know so much.

Who determined its dimensions

and stretched out the surveying line?

What supports its foundations,

and who laid its cornerstone

as the morning stars sang together

and all the angels shouted for joy?

“Who kept the sea inside its boundaries

as it burst from the womb,

and as I clothed it with clouds

and wrapped it in thick darkness?

For I locked it behind barred gates,

limiting its shores.

I said, ‘This far and no farther will you come.

Here your proud waves must stop!’

“Have you ever commanded the morning to appear

and caused the dawn to rise in the east?

Have you made daylight spread to the ends of the earth,

to bring an end to the night’s wickedness?

As the light approaches,

the earth takes shape like clay pressed beneath a seal;

it is robed in brilliant colors.

The light disturbs the wicked

and stops the arm that is raised in violence.

“Have you explored the springs from which the seas come?

Have you explored their depths?

Do you know where the gates of death are located?

Have you seen the gates of utter gloom?

Do you realize the extent of the earth?

Tell me about it if you know!

“Where does light come from,

and where does darkness go?

Can you take each to its home?

Do you know how to get there?

But of course you know all this!

For you were born before it was all created,

and you are so very experienced!

“Have you visited the storehouses of the snow

or seen the storehouses of hail?

(I have reserved them as weapons for the time of trouble,

for the day of battle and war.)

Where is the path to the source of light?

Where is the home of the east wind?

“Who created a channel for the torrents of rain?

Who laid out the path for the lightning?

Who makes the rain fall on barren land,

in a desert where no one lives?

Who sends rain to satisfy the parched ground

and make the tender grass spring up?

“Does the rain have a father?

Who gives birth to the dew?

Who is the mother of the ice?

Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens?

For the water turns to ice as hard as rock,

and the surface of the water freezes.

“Can you direct the movement of the stars—

binding the cluster of the Pleiades

or loosening the cords of Orion?

Can you direct the constellations through the seasons

or guide the Bear with her cubs across the heavens?

Do you know the laws of the universe?

Can you use them to regulate the earth?

“Can you shout to the clouds

and make it rain?

Can you make lightning appear

and cause it to strike as you direct?

Who gives intuition to the heart

and instinct to the mind?

Who is wise enough to count all the clouds?

Who can tilt the water jars of heaven

when the parched ground is dry

and the soil has hardened into clods?

“Can you stalk prey for a lioness

and satisfy the young lions’ appetites

as they lie in their dens

or crouch in the thicket?

Who provides food for the ravens

when their young cry out to God

and wander about in hunger?

Conclusion 

Thank you for reading! I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day and week! 

A quick update, if you read my newsletter then you already know this, but I am going to be taking a weeklong break from Instagram, blogging, and my newsletter. So there will be no new posts this week but don’t worry, I’ll be back soon with more fun and exciting posts! I can’t wait to see you again soon! 

Bye sweet friend!