My eye was drawn to her as I sat on the splintered bench at the edge of the park. The blush of her tiny rosebud lips and the constellation of freckles that gently dotted the bridge of her nose, and her tangerine orange tights perfectly offset by a bright pink tutu, spoke to the girl in me who was once a believer in fairy tales and possibilities.

My day had not gone as planned and at only 10:34 a.m. I found myself as frayed and muddied as the wood upon which I sat. It was all I could do at that moment, that tiny piece of time, to breathe.

I watched her spin and twirl with abandon, and I heard the sweet sound of a familiar children's song set to the tune and the tempo of a melody all her own. I smiled to myself as she discovered a tiny green tree frog half buried in the dirt beneath the swing set. With the gentleness of a new mother and the fearlessness of a warrior, she set about to rescue the tiny creature plucking it from certain death and setting its world right again on the perfect tree just to the left of the slide. And then she turned, and for a brief moment, her wide green eyes met mine. As the corner of her lips began to lift in a welcoming smile, I was struck by the realization at how quickly we can grow numb to the wonder of God in our lives.

In our attempt to have it all we often find ourselves eyes down, pushing ahead, just trying to get through the next thing on the list. Somewhere along the way, a chasm begins to evolve between God and us. We lose that childlike wonder, growing less aware of God's presence in our lives. And even when God does show up, we don't even notice.

It became clear on that day in the park that life in its complexity conspires against wonder. But when we awaken to the wonder of God, He invites us to go deeper and further than we've ever been before.

We are reminded so poignantly in Ephesians 3:20 that He is “able to do immeasurably more than all we ask of imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” (Ephesians 3:20, New International Version)

God’s presence is with us. His promise is for us. And His power works through us.

So how do we lead women to recapture their sense of childlike wonder in their world and their work?

Great leadership is about inspiration. To lead women to wonder, we must keep wonder wide-awake within ourselves. When our own lives are transformed, so is a Spirit-led passion to awaken wonder in the hearts and lives of the people and the organizations that we lead.

As followers of Jesus, we are invited to live with the expectancy of a child exploring her world. He calls us to lead with divine expectation, awakened to the presence and the power of God in our lives. Wonder dies, but it can be reborn, and something magical happens when wonder is awakened.

Leading in Wonder