“The world will never starve for wonders, but only for wonder.”
--G.K. ChestertonI facilitate a Bible study on Tuesday nights with “kids” between 30 and 40 years of age. Last Tuesday, we studied the word “profanity.” The definition that we came up with for profane was to treat something holy as though it were ordinary, common or of little value. It wasn’t just about the words that come out of our mouths.
In my personal Bible study, I’ve been discovering what it means to have a childlike heart. Did I even know what that meant? I came to the conclusion that I didn’t. I grew up in a home where my dad was an alcoholic. Looking back, I realize I didn’t experience childhood the way many children do. I was often watching what was happening around me instead of simply being a kid.
One characteristic of children is that they have this natural sense of wonder. It seems like nothing is ordinary or common to them; a butterfly, a funny cloud, a bug, a flower. Children call these things, “Wow! They notice things that adults walk right past.
Somewhere along the way, I lost my natural sense of wonder. I realized I needed to redevelop my capacity for it. In a world that is busy, noisy, and chaotic, we need wonder to bring us back to sanity. Wonder slows us down, opens our eyes, and reminds us that God is still at work in the ordinary moments of life.
Imagine waking up tomorrow and intentionally looking for things that fill you with wonder:
- The first cup of coffee
- A flower blooming on Badger
- The rainbow while it’s still raining
- The song of the birds
- The sunset
- Being able to breathe
- God’s grace
Let’s not miss the extraordinary.
Before you go to bed each night, write down one thing that filled you with wonder that day. It doesn’t have to be spectacular. Pretend you’re a kid again. Look for the butterfly, the rainbow, the bird singing outside your window, or the smile on someone’s face.
Maybe life hasn’t become more ordinary. Maybe we’ve become too busy to notice what’s been there all along.
Typed with wonder,
Jan
Jan McDonald
Maxwell Leadership Certified Team
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