Wonder
Have you ever lost your sense of wonder? I have.
As children, we were easily amazed. Planes in the sky, bubbles emerging from a soapy wand, the flashing lights and shrieking cry of a firetruck were all it took. Then we grew up and these moved onto a growing list of things we’ve experienced hundreds of times. What we once marveled at, became ordinary.
Wonder can be defined as “a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable.” By its very definition, wonder is a state that’s difficult to sustain. How long can anything, once known, be seen again with fresh eyes? How do we prevent disappointment and loss from closing us off to the possibility of impossibility? Once the man behind the curtain has been exposed, our capacity for childlike fascination is diminished.
Chasing bubbles.
Not long ago, I was out for my usual walk around the track at a sports complex near our house. Many times I listen to audiobooks while I walk, but on this day, one of my favorite worship albums streamed through my headphones. I rounded the path, mind caught up in the lyrics, when a maple tree came into view. Nothing special, just a maple in summertime, but it was as though I was seeing it for the first time. The beauty of the leaves, the strength of its trunk. A deep sense of appreciation for the artistry displayed in the details of the tree welled up inside me, and I understood there is a direct correlation between worship and wonder.
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
As I pondered the connection, the words of a hymn came to mind, “the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.” I agree wholeheartedly, but the opposite is equally true. When we turn our eyes and hearts toward Jesus, the brilliance of his glory and grace casts everything else in a new light. Time spent in the presence of the One who makes all things new tends to renew our capacity for being awe-inspired by even the most ordinary of things. A tree for example.
“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?”
The psalmist declares the works of God’s hands are a testament to His greatness. Consider the intricate ecosystems of earth. Plants grow and produce fruit that contains seed which falls to the ground and dies so that more plants can be produced. A lifecycle which sustains not only the plant itself, but humans, animals, insects and a host of organisms. This in itself is fascinating. Yet, the process is more than functional. You only have to observe the color scheme of fall to see that the Artist cares as much about beauty as He does function.
So what do we do with wonder? How do we response to the thankfulness it stirs within us?
That day as I stood gazing in appreciation of the maple and the hands that fashioned it, my thoughts were like that of the psalmist. “What is man that you are mindful of him?” When God placed Adam and Eve in the garden and said, “Here you go. Here’s everything you need to survive,” he was doing more than providing for them. He had created a place where he would come walk with them, enter into conversation with them, and enjoy friendship with them. Isn’t it amazing to think that the God of the universe desired to create a place to come and fellowship with man. That’s still His desire, to have a relationship with you and me.
Worship creates an openness that enables wonder to flourish. When I spend time with Jesus, I’m able see with new eyes, to experience with renewed appreciation that which had grown dull and stale. I cannot see a bird soaring in the sky without thinking of the God who created it. I cannot trace the tiny, perfect lines of a baby’s hand without seeing the whole world there.
I encounter Him, and my heart softens with thankfulness. Once again, I wonder at the full moon shining on the ocean and fireflies darting at the edge of the wood. I wonder at the warmth of family and the pleasure of friendship. I wonder at the grace and love shown to me by the King of kings.
I wonder at what a wonder-full world it is.