The Gift of Wonder by Christine Aroney-Sine

Author:Christine Aroney-Sine
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: creativity;creative spiritual practice;Godspace;right brain spirituality;enjoying God;childlike spirituality;like a child;gift of wonder;wonder;joy;laugh;play;delight;playfulness;imagination;awe;nature;gods creation;creation;live in the present;spiritual practices;fun spirituality;creative spirituality;joyful spirituality;childlike characteristics;fun spiritual practices;playful spiritual practices;imaginative;spiritual life;spirituality;god is fun;serious god;childlike faith;faith like a child
ISBN: 9780830871582
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Published: 2019-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

Where has God planted seeds in your life that need to be nurtured until they sprout?

The hot, dry days of summer are essentially a respite for gardeners. We mop our brows and sit back, relax, and enjoy the beauty of God’s activity. All the backbreaking work of turning the soil and weeding is behind us. There is plenty of time to sit in the sun, listen to the bees, and inhale the fragrance of God’s creation.

I love early morning garden walks. I excitedly examine my beans and zucchini to see how they have grown and eye the tomatoes ripening on the vines. Evidently, they do grow more quickly overnight too. Through photosynthesis they absorb energy during the day and then get to work after sunset. I am reminded that for the Jews the day begins at sunset, when we head to bed, but God is working hard. Morning reveals the fruit of God’s efforts and invites us to join in.

I am humbled as I remember Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 3:7: “It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow” (NLT). Without our Creator God, our efforts mean nothing. No matter how diligently we plant and water, without God to grow the seed there will never be fruit. Relax, I think. It is time for God to get to work!

In ministry as well as in the garden, we plant, water, and weed. Then we should relax and watch what God grows. The fruits of our efforts would not be possible without the God who gives them growth. What seeds have you planted in your life or ministry that God is growing? How do you relax and enjoy that growth?

My view of summer spirituality has undergone a radical change in the last few years as I contemplated it as God’s season for relaxation and fun. I used to get concerned because so many followers of Jesus seemed to leave their spirituality behind when they went on vacation. Then it occurred to me that I was offering them the wrong kind of summer spirituality.

I asked myself, What fun things am I planning for the summer that might connect me to Jesus and bring joy to my soul? I looked over my calendar. There were outdoor concerts and trips to the beach on my agenda. There were BBQs with friends and visits to some of my favorite places. It’s a great time to reconnect with people I have not seen for years and find out how God has been moving in their lives.

There were also self-imposed deadlines on projects and a lot of busyness. Some of this would probably be more soul destroying than joy bringing, I realized. I extended the deadlines and gave myself some space for fun.

Summer spirituality could be as simple as flying a kite and thinking about the wind of the Spirit that blows through my life just as the wind blows through this kite, often sending me to somewhere I do not expect.

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