by Cathy Baker | Faith |
DAY 13: LETTER
Gratitude provides the opportunity to celebrate the breadth and depth of God’s wonder. Take twenty minutes today to write a letter to God—maybe even a love letter. Express your affections to God. Thank Him for all that He’s done for you and all that He has yet to do. Thank Him for those big and little and long forgotten things and allow your soul to dance in the wonders of gratitude.
– Margaret Feinburg, Wonderstruck
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
Waiting for God, Waiting for Light
Psalm 62:1-2
For God alone
in silence
waits
my soul.
From God alone
in strength
waits
my salvation.
My Rock!
My Fortress!
I shall not
be moved.
In God alone
my soul shall
not be shaken.
©1998, Mary Harwell Sayler
Poem originally published in UpSouth.
DAY 10: STILLNESS
Wonders await in the stillness. Depending on the time of year, prepare a cup of hot peppermint tea or pour a glass of sweet tea—whatever your favorite beverage may be. Then find a quiet room, a comfortable chair, and sit still for twenty minutes. Your only movement should be nestling into the chair and occasionally sipping your beverage.
Allow yourself to be fully present in the moment—aware of your hands, your feet, your spine, every aspect of your body’s position. In this place of pausing, talk to God. Tell Him what’s really on your heart and mind. Share with Him things you’ve been afraid to say aloud. Give yourself wholly and fully to God in prayer and experience the wonder.
-Margaret Feinburg, Wonderstruck
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
DAY 7: SILENCE
God often chooses to reveal the wonder of Himself in quiet moments. Sit in silence for twenty unbroken minutes. Set an alarm, if need be, so you know how much time has passed. Keep paper and pen nearby to write down any fluttering thoughts. Embrace the silence then invite God to speak. Reflect on what you hear in this posture of listening. Pray that God reminds you of people for whom you can pray. Ask God to bring scriptures to mind that he wants you to consider. Enjoy the wondrous silence of just being in God’s presence.
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
DAY 6: FORGIVENESS
Unforgiveness holds us back from fully experiencing God’s wonder. Sometimes the hardest person to forgive is yourself. Take fifteen minutes to prayerfully consider any things for which you’ve had a hard time forgiving yourself. Record them on a blank sheet of paper. Then take a few moments to forgive yourself for each one.
After you forgive yourself, rip up the sheet of paper as a sign of keeping no record of wrongs. Allow yourself to celebrate the forgiveness God offers you through Jesus. You are a wondrous child of God! Spend some time thanking God for the way he created you and the redemptive work he’s doing in your life, and walk in the wonder of forgiveness.
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
DAY 2: TIME
Reflect on the wondrous gift of time. Pull out a calendar or day planner and spend fifteen minutes considering all that’s on your schedule for the upcoming two weeks. Consider marking which activities fill up your time versus those that fill you with life and provide opportunities to awaken to the wonder of God all around. Prayerfully consider what changes—including cuts and additions you need to make to your schedule—to awaken yourself to the wonder of rest and a healthy rhythm in your daily life. Make sure you have time build into each day for the remaining days of your challenge.
Do you think you’ll be cutting from — or adding to — your schedule?