The rush of the fall season is here. If you’re dealing with a hectic schedule, it can be easy to get distracted and miss the wonder happening around you. Just because you don’t notice wonder doesn’t mean it isn’t there. God is always at work in your life – and whenever you catch glimpses of that, you can experience wonder. Psalm 65:8 says of God, “The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.” You truly can discover wonder anytime and anywhere. But when you’re busy and stressed, you need to be intentional about pursuing it.
As I write in Wake Up to Wonder, you can manage your time strategically in ways that help you pay attention to God’s wondrous work in your life. Those ways include making wonder a high priority in your schedule, focusing on the present moment, welcoming schedule interruptions that may be divine appointments, living in sync with natural rhythms, and making the pursuit of wonder a regular practice in your life. Research I mention in the book shows that experiencing awe can expand your perception of time. When you enjoy an awe-inspiring experience, your sense of time slows down, helping you pay closer attention to what you’re experiencing rather than hurrying through it. The more you discover wonder and let yourself fully enjoy it, the less time pressure you’ll feel – even during your busiest times.
One fun way I remind myself not to take time pressure too seriously is by taking brief breaks throughout my day to enjoy my cuckoo clock. That whimsical clock features a handcrafted wooden cuckoo bird that comes out to “sing” every hour. Whenever I can, I try to pay attention to my goofy clock when it chimes and the bird makes an appearance, opens its beak, and makes the traditional cuckoo call. Something simple like that is all that's necessary to relieve stress so it doesn't accumulate too much.
Since finding wonder is really about connecting with God’s presence, I hope you’ll try the practices I describe in my Crosswalk.com article “How to Notice God with You Throughout Your Day.” Those practices include wonder breaks and various kinds of prayer and meditation. God has promised to always be with you. But when you’re stressed, it’s challenging to feel God’s presence. Making time to intentionally connect with God during each day will naturally lead you to wonder because God will meet you where you are.
My Crosswalk.com article “5 Prayers for Focus” can help you pay attention to what matters most this month. When you are constantly bombarded with distractions, it can be difficult to hear God's voice. But when you focus on God, you are able to tune out the distractions and notice God’s work in your life. You become more likely to notice what God is doing and more open to how God is calling you to respond.
Two other Crosswalk.com articles that I hope you’ll find useful when you’re busy are “How to Experience God’s Wonder by Managing Your Time Well” and “30 Bible Verses that Talk about Time.”
Remember, using your time well doesn’t necessarily mean being as productive as possible. It means being as faithful as you can. Along the way, you’ll encounter wonder!
Blessings,
Whitney