The wondrous deeds of God

The wondrous deeds of God are known to anyone who takes the time to look for them and to reflect on what they see, or hear, or sense in any way.   Who doesn’t appreciate a beautiful sunrise or sunset?   Who isn’t impressed by the sight of untarnished natural surroundings?  My cousin Amy frequently posts on Facebook photos she has taken.  She always gives the credit to God for the wonders she sees.  

How can anyone who has witnessed the birth of a child not be overwhelmed with gratitude to God by the miracle of life?

What about the technological advances of the last 100 years or so?  Although some may argue that these are the works of men, I counter that without our God-given intellect, we would not have these wonders.  

These are all given to us by a generous God.  How can one be aware of and respond to these wonders without singing joyfully to the Lord?! (Psalm 67:4)

This time of year we are reminded of the wonders of people caring for each other.  While people are homeless and hungry and ill-clothed throughout the year, something about Advent and Christmas reminds us that this is a special time to care for our sisters and brothers.  Toy drives, food collections, fuel subsidies, and other programs unite givers and receivers during this time of year more than any other.  We mirror God’s wondrous generosity with our own.

And yet, it’s so easy to take all this for granted, to demand and expect wonders because they have become part of our lives and so mundane.  These wonders become ingrained in our short memory horizons, and so we expect that we will always be comfortable in our needs, that “someone” will certainly develop a new something to fix this or that problem.  It’s amazing that the marvel of new things has a short life of public interest because something new is coming soon.  If we stop to think we might appreciate the wondrous things about us, but too often we are lulled by complacency.  We forget that what we know today is the culmination of all our prior human understanding of the mysteries that God has created.

One of the most wondrous things that God has done is to give us children and grandchildren, because as they grow they remind us by their exuberance to truly appreciate the wonders we encounter.  Since their memories are short, children see with the new eyes of one who is not jaded.  Lily, who just turned 5 years old a couple of weeks ago, greets me with a great big hug and “OOMPAH, you’re home!” every time I walk in the door after a few days absence as if it has been years since we last saw each other.  It melts my heart every time.  It doesn’t matter what kind of a day or week I’ve been having.  Once I feel that unconditional love nothing else matters.

 

And so my prayer today as I start this new year—and  my wish for you—is for the grace to be like a child, discovering with joy every minute of every day the wonders the Lord has done, and for the freedom to break into songs of praise for the God who loves us.