“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6). As we grow older, it gets harder and harder to hold onto our sense of wonder. The first time that a child sees a helium filled balloon float upward instead of fall to the ground shocks and amazes and astounds them. A child will run up to you screaming and drag you off to come and feel a fuzzy caterpillar, or look at the rainbow shimmer in an oil slick, or cup a shell to your ear to hear the ocean. All of us are in different stages of our lives, but there is no denying that the magic of a Christmas morning with small children feels completely different from one without them. Is it any wonder that Jesus said regarding little children that of such is the kingdom of God? (Matthew 19:14). As in all things, Christ is our best example of one who is filled with wonder. But if we, through our limited capacity to gain knowledge and experience become more and more desensitized to feelings of wonder, then how did Christ, who knows and understands literally everything, manage to still experience wonder? When we think of Jesus Christ’s experience as He performed the Atonement, we tend to focus on the pain and suffering He endured. But life is not divided up neatly into painful and pleasant experiences. Anyone who has ever been to the “happiest” place on earth has seen their fair share of tears, tantrums, and the aftermath of weak stomachs fighting losing battles with high g-forces. At funerals, there is the bitterness of grief but also the sweetness of fond remembrances. Christ necessarily experienced the entirety of our lives with the full gamut of positive and negative experiences. That means He was with us for every stubbed toe and scraped knee and also for every fuzzy caterpillar and rainbow shimmer. He has walked with us through the fiercest of storms and did not abandon us when the clouds broke and the perfect brightness of hope shone through. “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2). We call Jesus Wonderful because after looking through the eyes of each and every one of God’s children, He has known more of wonder than anyone else who has ever lived. A million, billion times He has had the privilege of being a little child and finding joy and wonder peaking from behind every rose blossom and river smooth rock and every snowflake caught on the tongue. I hope that as we honor the birth of the Christ child, we will all try a little harder to become as little children and be filled with wonder this Holiday season, even as we call Jesus Wonderful.
