One of the biggest issues with the Church and believers as a whole is that we’ve lost the excitement and wonder of Jesus Christ.

I didn’t fully understand the depth and meaning behind the Death and Resurrection until I was 29 years old and I grew up in church. Sure, I knew that He died for our sins and all that. But it’s said so often, taught so casually, that it never felt like a big deal. It was just something that happened.

The Aquarium

It didn’t hit me until I went to the aquarium with my son. Now, I’m a total animal obsessed freak so being excited about them was nothing new for me. But something hit me when we got to the jellies (yes, jellies. Not jellyfish. Even their NAME is adorable). The jellies simply exist. They’re chill, they don’t have eyes like we do or bodies that we fully understand. But they’re beautiful.

I remember seeing the Australian Spotted Jellyfish. These gorgeous creatures look like they have fluffy tutus on. Their spots glowed under the fluorescent light and all I could picture was little deep-sea ballerinas.

Those are nothing but God’s desire to simply be creative. He just wanted to put beautiful things out into the world for us to appreciate. To see and experience the awe and wonder.

We have missed it.

With all of our arguing and busy lives and trying to make it to the next day and, let’s be real, thinking that we know better than God Himself to lead our lives, we’ve missed it.

We’ve missed the beauty and the amazing creativity of the God we say we serve.

We have also missed the incredible way that God has moved through this broken world from the moment He created it (not that He created it broken, but you get the point).

We’ve taken for granted the gift that is Jesus Christ Himself. We’ve taken for granted that the God that gave His Son wants a relationship with US.

Excuse me? How is that not a big freaking deal?

The ones that doubt His existence, mock Him, disobey Him, ignore Him, spit on Him, lie on Him. The ones who have misrepresented Him time after time after time. You. Me.

HE wants a relationship with US. If that doesn’t blow your freaking mind then you’ve missed the whole dang point. 

STOP MISSING THE POINT.

He LOVES you. There is quite literally NOTHING you can do to make Him stop loving you.

When you hated Him? He loved you.

When you doubted Him? He loved you.

When you went and did that thing He told you not to do but you ignored Him? He loved you.

The Creator of the whole WORLD loves YOU, individually, for who you are. He created you ON purpose FOR a purpose.

The frustrating thing is that we’re told this and we say ‘I know, I know.” We don’t actually apply this knowledge to our lives.

I’m a business and marketing coach for small business owners and when we talk about what they need to do, they say ‘well I know that.’ And my response to that is, ‘if you know that why haven’t you done it? If you know that that’s what you need to be doing, why haven’t you done it?’

The same is true of God’s love for you. If you know He loves you, why aren’t you applying that to your life?

Why have we let this much time go by not fully embracing the fact that He loves us for all that we are and all we aren’t. He knew exactly what He was doing when He made us. HOW IS THAT NOT THE COOLEST THING EVER?!

God handcrafted the jellies, the fish, the eels, the otters. He created every living thing on purpose with the exact workings that it needed to survive. God wanted you to be the outward expression of His creativity.

Before His death, Jesus referred to the disciples as ‘little children’ (John 13:33). He says this out of love and cares deeply about them. But it also makes me think of Matthew 18:3, “And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (NIV)

Little kids are brand new humans. The things we think are mundane and normal are insane and wild and colorful and wonderful. Children are full of wonder and excitement.

The Church has lost that. I lost it and I’m so grateful to have it back. Looking at the world, I can’t NOT be in total awe.

I get made fun of a lot because of how I see the world and how amazing it is. I used to stuff it down and keep it to myself, saying it’s not THAT big of a deal.

BUT IT IS.

Then when I think about the fact that I can talk to Him whenever I want? That I can ask for immediate forgiveness when I do wrong and He FORGETS it happened?! It makes me emotional to think about.

Believer, I implore you to find that childlike wonder. From the moment you open your eyes to the moment you close them.

If this resonated with you and you feel something stirring in your heart, join me in prayer: 

Dear God, I pray that You help me to find and never again lose the childlike wonder You’ve given me. I ask that You remove the blinders of busy and mundane so I can see the beauty that is in the world and in me through You. I pray that You speak to me and that my ears are open to listen.

Please forgive me for ever taking for granted all that You are and all that You’ve done. Forgive me for ever doubting Your goodness and grace.

Thank You for reminding me of all that You are. I ask that you never stop revealing Yourself to me and to all I come into contact with.

Thank you, Lord. Amen.

If you’ve felt wonder stir in your spirit, don’t rush past it.

My Free Prayer Journal helps you slow down, sit with Scripture, and respond to God with awe, honesty, and trust.

Download it here and start making space for sacred wonder.