1. When Our Hearts Forget How to Wonder

Losing our sense of wonder doesn’t make us unfaithful—it makes us human. Women today navigate emotional loads that past generations never imagined. We hold our families together. We maintain schedules and homes. We care for aging parents, support friends in crisis, guide our children, and manage households while also navigating work, ministry, and life.

So when December arrives, we often don’t have much left.

David prayed,
“Restore to me the joy of your salvation.” (Psalm 51:12)

That prayer is the cry of a weary heart longing for awe again. Wonder fades when we’re stretched too thin to see the beauty around us. When we’re tired, God doesn’t shame us—He restores us.

Louie Giglio once wrote, “Worship is simply seeing God.”
Wonder begins with seeing Him again.

2. The Subtle War Against Wonder

One of the quietest spiritual battles we face in December is distraction. Not sinful distraction—simply life distraction. Full calendars, emotional strain, unmet expectations, holiday demands, obligations that multiply by the day.

But Christmas is built on a stillness that reveals glory.

God told His people:
“In quietness and trust is your strength.” (Isaiah 30:15)

We lose wonder not because God is far away but because our pace makes Him hard to notice. Our hearts weren’t made to run at the speed of December.

Before we can see Jesus with fresh eyes, we first have to slow down enough to lift our eyes.

3. Turning Aside to See the Holy Again

There’s a small but powerful detail in the story of Moses:

“When the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him…” (Exodus 3:4)

The miracle—the burning bush—was already there. God was already speaking. But Moses encountered Him when he turned aside.

Wonder often returns in the turning aside moments.
When we pause.
When we breathe.
When we choose presence over productivity.

It is not laziness—it is holy attentiveness.

Alicia Britt Chole writes, “Attention is the beginning of devotion.”

Attention is also the birthplace of wonder.
We cannot see the Savior clearly when our souls are rushing.

4. Slowing Down Helps Us See Jesus—and Each Other

It’s not just Jesus we struggle to see clearly when life runs too fast—it’s the people God has placed in our lives.

Our spouses, children, parents, siblings, and closest friends also need us to slow down.

December can make us so busy preparing moments for others that we fail to be present with them. We become managers instead of nurturers, supervisors instead of listeners, hosts instead of companions.

But one of the most sacred ways we rediscover wonder is through love expressed in slowness.

Scripture says,
“See to it that no one misses the grace of God.” (Hebrews 12:15)

Sometimes the grace others most need isn’t wrapped in a gift—it’s wrapped in our attention. Our softness. Our listening. Our patience. Our “I’m here, and I’m not rushed.”

James reminds us:
“Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.” (James 1:19)

Slowing down is spiritual.
Slowing down is relational.
Slowing down draws us back to wonder because it draws us back to what matters.

What if part of seeing Christmas through fresh eyes isn't just discovering Jesus in Scripture, but discovering Him in the faces of the people we love?

5. Remembering What Christmas Truly Reveals

This season often feels like pressure, but it was built upon peace. When wonder fades, it helps to return to the truths Christmas proclaims—truths we forget when our lives grow too loud.

God is near.

Not just near in the quiet moments but near in the chaos, the noise, the grief, the unexpected.

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted.” (Psalm 34:18)

You are deeply loved.

Christmas is not about what we accomplish—it’s about what God has given.

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us.” (1 John 3:1)

Light always wins.

No matter how heavy the year has felt.

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5)

These truths awaken awe. Not the glittery, commercial kind—but the steady, soul-deep kind that anchors us through every season.

6. Simple Ways to See Christmas With Fresh Eyes Again

Here are gentle, life-giving ways to rediscover wonder this year:

Slow down your pace—and your presence.

Choose stillness in small doses. Sit quietly for five minutes under the glow of the tree. Breathe. Let your soul settle.

Be truly present with the people God gave you.

Listen deeply to your spouse.
Sit with your children.
Call your parent.
Send a voice message to a friend.
Give time—not just tasks.

Read Scripture slowly.

Not for completion but connection.
Try Isaiah 9, John 1, Luke 2, or Psalm 27.

Let something go.

One expectation. One chore. One perfectionistic pressure. Release what steals joy.

Look for Jesus in unexpected places.

In laughter.
In shared meals.
In quiet car rides.
In forgiveness.
In small moments that feel ordinary and holy at the same time.

Wonder isn’t always loud.
Often it’s soft—and easily missed unless we choose to see.

Reflections

1. What has been pulling your attention away from wonder this season?

2. Who in your life might need you to slow down and be fully present with them?

3. What is one small place where God has been inviting you to “turn aside” and notice Him?