Wonder

-

"It’s the most wonderful time of the year!!" (Sung to the tune of 'It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year')

Well, it certainly is full of wonder. As cheesy as that classic phrase is, when you break down the word--”wonder…full” it does sum up this season of heavy reflection. Wonder exists in two different definitions. Wonder as “awe”...the kind of wonder we experience when witnessing something of majesty. Wonder that is worship. There is also wonder in which we question something…we ask and think critically…maybe look at something in a new light. Often in my directing and acting classes we use the phrase “I wonder about…” to give feedback. This holiday season I have found myself filled with both kinds of wonder: curiosity and awe. 

Wonder at the miracle of Christ’s birth. Wonder at the virgin Mary. And the shepherds and the bright star. Wonder at the future--where will I live this summer? What will I do when I graduate? Will I go on any trips…save up to buy a car?? Wonder at family dynamics…how have my relationships changed in the last six months of long distance with family? What have I missed? How has my family grown? Wonder at the miracle of my mom’s continued healing. Wonder at every step, hug, errand, meal she prepares. Wonder at the ways God has been so near and dear these last six months. How He has revealed Himself more intimately and deeply through the grief I experienced over my mom’s health issues. Through the growing pains of getting older. Through ministry at Kidder Creek -- all its challenges and blessings. Through community in church, school, theatre, and camp. 

This last year I discovered I am a sojourner. A traveler. A wanderer full of wonder. No place truly feels like a forever home because it isn’t…I wasn’t made just for life on this Earth, I was made for a heavenly home that will satisfy for all eternity. God has given me purpose and meaning in this life here and now, but He has also made me for eternal life with Him. Home is when I rest contented in His arms. And my surroundings become temporary homes full of laughter, grief, warmth, food, fellowship, hospitality, joy, and adventure in different seasons of life. Every glimmer of home I experience in this life is a gift from Him. 

So while the holidays don’t always feel merry and bright they certainly are wonderful. They spark an element of wonder that leads me on my knees in worship and strikes up questions and reflections aplenty. I am entering this new year with many questions and open paths. But I am also entering the new year with a new sense of gratitude at the ways God has been faithful this last year and a trust that He will be faithful in the next. I’ve traded a 2024 bucket list for empty hands and a full heart. I’ve traded certainty for wonder. What an exciting adventure it is to be surprised by Jesus. What will this next year hold? I don’t know, but luckily God has given me an imagination and called me to be a dreamer. So with open hands and an open heart (well, mostly, I am constantly failing at this but thank God’s good grace He keeps opening them again)...I dream. I wonder.


Have fun dreaming friends.

Sincerely,

Sophi

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PB+J on the Beach

-
Image
Peanut Butter and Jelly on the beach.   {A timeless classic.} Ingredients:  1. Approximately 3 Jelly cups from the hotel complimentary breakfast 2. Exactly 2 peanut butter cups...also from the hotel complimentary breakfast.  3. One slice of Trader Joe's sourdough sliced bread Ok ok so you probably already know how to make a PB and J sandwich. But if you are a true connoisseur like me, you know that the type of Jelly or Peanut Butter hardly matters when you are eating a PB and J on the beach. With sand on your toes, salt in your hair, and the remains of the beach water on your skin, the absolute best thing is a classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich..no matter what type of peanut butter or jelly was used in the making. Maybe it's the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, or maybe it's the beach...but I think there is something about both, together, that inevitably brings one to a state of reflection. Everything else fades away but the crash of the waves,
Read more

Welcome!!

-
Hi!! Hey there! Yeah you! I'm thrilled your reading this today. You know why? Because I want to tell you that you are loved...so. freaking. loved. Now that you know that I guess I should tell you what your getting yourself into reading this. I have always loved writing and for some time now I have wanted to start a blog. I feel like I am constantly narrating life internally, weaving stories from my surroundings and filtering my thoughts into mental journal entries. Now I feel God calling me (again) to write a blog. And guys I desperately just want to do it already!! But the perfectionist in me also desperately wants to wait until I have the perfectly curated blog post written. Until the blog is perfectly laid out with just the right colors and pictures. But...I've been down that road. And it never leads to me actually posting anything. SO this time I'm just going to do it. I'm just going to post this raw, messy blog post of me telling you that I'm going to write way
Read more

His Mercies Are New Every Morning...and Year

-
Well, folks, it’s a new year! And with the start of a new year usually comes new resolutions, goals, habits and bucket lists. This new year I found myself feeling a little discouraged on the habit front. Everytime I start a new habit, be it doing my dishes, Bible reading, or working out, I always hit a point in my life where my schedule, exhaustion, or general lack of discipline lead the habit to ending. I mean -- let’s be honest -- the majority of us don’t stick with our habits forever.  But, I also know some of these goals I can’t give up on forever. I’m still called to read my Bible as a Christian, seeking truth in the word of God. My roommates still rely on me to try and do my dishes and my body needs working out to be healthy.  So I find myself in a new year. With a strange awareness of the impending failure of some habits I’d like to recommit to again. But, I also have come to realize that life is full of fresh starts and new seasons for this very reason. We fail all the time. We
Read more