IF YOU ARE LIKE ME, YOU LOVE ORDER, being able to expect things to follow an established pattern. I can expect the wren’s song on my back porch to always bubble with joy. The peonies in my garden will never look like dandelions. And summer in Ohio will never bring a foot of snow. I can also count on my car starting when I turn the key (usually), my refrigerator keeping the milk cold, and my husband watching sports at every opportunity. We count on the order God built into our Universe, and we get upset when things fall out of order. Why aren’t the car keys where they belong? Where did the pencil next to the telephone go? Who ate all the of the Cheerios? And of course, the things that really matter: disasters and deliberate acts of harm.
Order is great, but so is surprise! Life would be unbearably boring if things never changed. Surprise and wonder make life worth waking up for. I love God’s unexpected flashes in a fiery sunset or a refracted rainbow. I exclaim when He spangles the celestial march of the stars with a mess of meteors or glistens a jeweled landscape with ice—two awesome events that force me to slow down and alter my plans. How wonderful that God makes romantic interludes delightful and babies’ giggles irresistible. And He inspires sonatas that make hearts soar, masterful paintings to capture our imagination, and dramas to take us deeper into what connects us with others in joy, pain, need, and worship.
It’s just like God to make sure there’s always another mountain—I wonder what’s at the top. There’s always another waterfall—I wonder who first saw Niagara Falls. There’s always the ocean and other distant shores. There’s always another mysterious planet or star to peek at. And there’s always someone on this planet Earth that I haven’t yet met and interacted with.
And some of the most wonder-filled things of all await us after life is done. We have clues that make us excited about it: butterflies emerge from sealed cocoons, grains sprout from rock-hard seeds, and freshly painted mornings follow dreary black nights. And the real example of all things new is Jesus, who pulled back the curtain on forever to confirm the promise of eternal wonder. Eternal revelation. Everlasting exploration of our Creator’s Mind. Untapped beauty! Unheard music! Unlimited romance! Forever friends! Never-ending wonder! Exponential LIFE!
John 10:10 says (paraphrased), “I have come to give you life, that you may have it to the full.”
And 1 Corinthians 2:9 says, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.”
Okay! Look what we have and what we have to look forward to! AND Jesus tells us that the Kingdom of God is already here. He’s ushered it in! He’s given it to us as His gift, ready for us to reach out and unwrap and enjoy. Boundless wonder is here, ready for us to run through and soak in. And it goes on, forever! No need to wait to explore. No need to wait to take a chance. No need to wait to share. It won’t run out.
Go, tell everyone, Jesus says. There’s room, there’s time, there’s God enough and forever enough to go around! Our God isn’t stingy. We should be either! Let’s fill the world with His love and surprise!
