Monday, March 07, 2011

Connecting Life with Faith: Living in Wonder


We all enjoy a good story, one that makes us think, one that stimulates our minds, one that makes us wonder.  We all enjoy people, places, machines, pictures, art, and other images that give us a sense of wonder to our world.  When we look at our world and experience our lives unfolding what is it that captures our imagination?  What makes us stand in awe and wonder? 


We all have our own unique sense of what is amazing and wonderful.  We all have disdain for the mundane.  So what is that makes us seek out the wonder in our world?  There are endless hours of television, countless books and magazines devoted to making us wonder about something.  For these writers, the key is "not knowing" or the element of mystery that makes us keep coming back again and again for more stories, more knowledge, more images, more and more to satisfy our craving for "wonder."

Mystery and wonder are synonymous.  When we know how the magician does the magic trick the sense of wonder is gone, isn`t it?  Our lives need a hint of mystery to them don`t they? If not, we soon begin to feel bored and discontent.  And that leads to a lot of problems doesn`t it?

Wonder drives our desire to discover.  It is the force behind the person climbing the highest mountain, or searching the seas for new life, it is the divine gift, intended to motivate humanity towards self discovery.  Without this desire, humanity would not be interested in seeking after God or the answers to life`s many mysteries.  It is a core part of our humanity.

So why am I talking about this?

The times in my life when I have felt an overwhelming sense of "wonder" have motivated me and influenced me greatly.  At other times I have lost hope and become weary when I have nothing to inspire me, nothing to create a sense of "awe" or amazement.  When life becomes mundane and normal is when I experience "meaninglessness" or "disenchantment" and this leads in a direction of self-satisfying, pleasure seeking behavior.

Without "wonder", I forget to look to God, who is always doing the "amazing."  He is weaving all our lives together, simultaneously creating something wonderful and amazing whether we are aware of it or not.  God is always creating.  As the universe is continually expanding, we gaze at the stars and we see the reflections of His works (considered by many to be billions of light years ago).

However, we do not have to look far to be caught in a moment of wonder.  The very things we use and see everyday, natural or man made, have a source, have a uniqueness, have intelligent design behind them.  The big question is "what is our mindset?" as we wake to each day.  Are we living lives in wonder of all that has happened to us and continues to happen in our world.  Have we forsaken the heart of the "seeker"?  Have we forgotten the feeling of wonder and imagination from our youth? Has life become too regular, smothered in ritual and habit that we have no desire to discover our world, no thought to know Him more?

Truly, with God we have no excuse for boredom.  We can never exhaust Him, and we can never completely understand Him.  He reveals himself to us in nature, in the beauty of fractal design.  What looks like randomness shows itself to be coded and ordered patterns rooted in mathematical formula.  And when it comes to our lives, what appears to be chaos can suddenly come together for an amazing purpose at a sudden moment in time.  His fingerprints are all over our lives, whether we choose to see them is a matter of "faith."

The thought I leave you with is that without WONDER in our lives we need only eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die.  And as for me, I desire more than mere existence.

So what do you want to know?  What makes you think?  What do you want to discover today?  Now is our time to live, let`s live in "wonder" of all He has done and continues to do.

10 comments:

  1. Let's enjoy each and every moment of it while we're here 'coz nobody survives life

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  2. A very good article! Not to go too far off topic, but I was reading the book of Job the other day, and noticed that although God is omniscient, he asks questions. The only thing I could think was, "He's playing with us!" Funny how God interacts with us finite beings, eh?

    I also think it's interesting to note that mystery leads to research, and research leads to creativity. Since we're made in God's image, and God knows everything, which makes Him entirely creative, it's kinda like we're following in His footsteps as we learn the things He knows. Good stuff!

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  3. Jeremy- thanks for the comments! Nice follow up information. It is unfortunate that many ppl see God as a boring, angry overly obsessive jerk, when the Bible and reality clearly depict a different picture. The way He interacts with us is altogether unique and personal. He often stops our thought patterns by interrupting us with questions. I often find myself doing the same thing with my children. Why tell them everything when asking them leads to self discovery!!

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  4. This is the sentence that jumped out at me:
    "Has life become too regular, smothered in ritual and habit that we have no desire to discover our world, no thought to know Him more?"
    I often have a deep sad feeling inside of me thinking about so many Christians (myself included) who are so happy to just keep going about their daily lives - same routine, same ritual - instead of truly seeking and being hungry to know God...truly know him, know his will and know is word.
    I stand in awe and wonder of God's power and sovereignity. Thank you for the post.

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  5. The stars reference touched me.. I often love to look at the stars and just wonder. some of them are so far away, that they could be gone by now, however their light is just now reaching us.

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  6. There is wonder in everything, even the most mundane things, if you have the eyes to see it.

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  7. Your article hit a soft spot in me. Clearly, my life is full of routine and its high time I change my mindset!!! :)

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  8. I love the picture, and your artical is pretty good too :)

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  9. Hey man, I know this has nothing to do with this post, but was not sure how else to get a hold of you... ARE YOU GUYS OK? Just been hearing about and seeing all the the earthquake, aftershocks and tsunami videos and news reports... Just wanted check in, and also let you know you are all in my prayers.

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  10. Thank you for reminding me to embrace the wonder that is around me. Thanks be well WH

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