Here’s the soundtrack I hope is playing when I exit earthside and enter heaven. I hope the instruments of heaven and the choir of voices are all in full chorus of “the Wonders of His Love” like the joyful and compelling rendition by Casting Crowns. What better greeting than wondering at His love as one steps right into its reality. And I sure wouldn’t care if it was directly followed by The Brothers Cazimero’s Joy to the World.
Joy is a long-time endeavor of mine. I want happiness to permeate my days even when life hits hard. I long to be so settled on Christ the Rock of my salvation, that setbacks can’t give me much sway. It’s an ideal I know won’t ever reach reality until I am resurrected into heaven’s home. I believe it is a worthy goal if I hold it alongside the tension of trusting His grace. Too often, I let myself tailspin into despair when I become unsettled by the setbacks. I take the setback and multiply it by my failure to live stayed in joy. And of course, this does not further settled happiness. It’s unhealthy and it’s a lack of recalling grace abounding.

The grace by which I am saved through faith in my Jesus in His Wonderful Love.
Not Of Works.
He loves me when my working, my wanting, my worthwhile attempts to settle in joy all my days, dissipates entirely. He knows it is beyond me and comes for me anyway. When earth fades away and our joy is fully known, it will be the best entrance ever.
I don’t always have God quite figured out, but I fully expect Jesus to be standing there. He’s grinning from ear to ear and holding out His hands. Nail pierced. Whole. Reaching out. Expectant. Ready to wrap me up in the Love worthy of wonder.
For in the words of another song sung by Casting Crowns….“The peasant King changes everything.”
I’m grateful for this Advent season to ponder the coming of the best Gift Divine wrapped up snug and freely given.
I’m grateful, even though in simplicity of mind I grasp, how very much I do not completely comprehend the magnificence of the gift of Jesus. How magnificent Jesus himself is. Nor do I always remember to grasp how much He delights in me and how much He loves me. Yet, I couldn’t be more grateful either. A paradox. As much of the Kingdom of heaven is. Upside down from our human nature thinking. It can’t be stuffed in our boxes or legalistically listed or completely figured out.
I believe God means it to be this way. He wants lifelong learners and seekers and praisers.
Each year as we commemorate Advent and Christmas, we can once more stand in awe all over again.
Oh! Wonders of His Love.

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