WoW!

Have you ever gone on a God Hunt? A God Hunt begins when you teach yourself to look for God’s hand at work in the every day occurrences of your life. Here’s one of my personal God Hunt Sightings:


Christmas starts for different people at different points. Some don’t feel like Christmas has begun until they have attended a concert of Handel’s Messiah. Others feel that Christmas starts when the tree is up, decorated and the lights are plugged in.

For me Christmas starts when the house is decorated—all three floors—the trees are up and lit and the Christmas table is set. Doing all this is no small chore since David and I have traditionally divided the holiday chores between us. He does the gift-buying and wrapping, he plans and purchases tickets for outstanding events. I decorate the house and plan the menu. I shop and cook. My husband does the kitchen clean up after the meal.
Also, any cards that get sent to friends are taken care of by David also.

This is a pretty good division of Christmas labor—at least, it works for us. It does mean that what rooms get decorated or not depends completely upon my schedule, strength and gumption.

This year, after three or four days of straight work, the house looked and felt like December magazine photos. I cannot say how many times I went up and down the attic steps, but the charley-horse cramps I felt at night indicated I’d taxed my physical abilities.

However, all this work was made worth it when my granddaughter Eliana dropped past (along with her Mom and Dad and little brother). “WOW!” she exclaimed, looking at the tree lights, and the nativity sets. “WOW!” The basement also received her acclamation. Eliana “WOW”-ed her way through my entire house.

I have to admit that not only was this slightly funny—was she “WOW!”-ing because she thought that was the appropriate thing to do? Or, was it because this was really a “WOW!”-ful experience for her?—but it made me feel really good that I had gone to all the work of filling the house with all the traditional Christmas things I dragged from the attic boxes.

I wonder if, like Eliana, I have been saying “WOW!” enough to God. Have I really let the deepest meanings of Christmas penetrate my heart and psyche once again? Have I been overwhelmed, filled with awe and struck by the beauty of it all? There have been exquisite moments, but have I made a point of “WOW”-ing all over the place?

Christ has come. God is with us. Christ is coming again. WOW!

I spy God!