Wide-eyed Wonder

I recently came across a beautiful quote from a book authored by Bishop Fulton J Sheen: “God walks into your soul with silent step. God comes to you more than you go to Him. Never will His coming be what you expect, and yet never will it disappoint. The more you respond to His gentle pressure, the greater will be your freedom.”

I especially love the part that says, “Never will His coming be what you expect, and yet never will it disappoint.” I love how God surprises His people, especially during this season. Consider how He surprised Mary with the news that she would be the mother of the Savior. Or how He surprised Joseph with that kind of news (OK, that was totally major!). Or how He surprised the shepherds and the Three Wise Men that the Messiah was born. But doesn’t it also surprise us that they saw in this little Baby the promise of hope? They saw.

Do we see? Do we notice? Do we pay attention? If our eyes are truly open, then we shall see.

If you watched “Rise of the Guardians,” you know that North (the Russian Santa character) is one whose core is filled with wonder. I can relate with him, as I’ve been praying that I not miss a thing this Christmas season.  True enough, I’ve been encountering God’s surprises recently in so many ways. Here are a few:

• Through the heartfelt and inspiring messages spoken during our office Christmas party

• Through the students who came Christmas caroling at the office

• Through a friend who came to share some delicious chocolate cupcakes (still at the office)

• Through the song that my sister and I sang during our community Christmas party the following day (we sang “Grown-up Christmas List,” which talks about not being jaded but still being able to dream. )

Just a side note: my sister and I have been singing
together since we were kids :)

• Through an encouraging word from someone

• Through an answered prayer

Seemingly normal occurrences can very well be God’s gifts to us. But only when we unwrap them with our sense of wonder and spiritual inquisitiveness will we be able to see and appreciate them for all that they’re worth. Perhaps they are indeed filled with joy, with hope, with love.

God, please gives us that wide-eyed wonder. Give us eyes to see. Amen.