Wonder, pt. 1

We can get better at this.

Wonder that is.

Some will suggest that the loss of wonder is nothing more than boredom.  But it is more.  It’s a creeping numbness that will deaden your soul. I’ll even say it ages you prematurely.

The oldest acting (and looking) people I know aren’t the ones with the most lines on their faces or the most gray in their hair.  They’re the ones who’ve lost any sense of curiosity, of being able to be surprised or interested in discovering something new.  They’re bored and boring.

I’m gonna say this now and maybe save you some money.

You can lift and tuck and stretch and suction and inject and implant and diet and train and run as fast as you can from your next birthday, but when you lose a sense of wonder . . . put the tennis balls on the walker because you’re old.

Like I said, we should get better at this—not to look or act or even feel younger.  That is simply not a good enough reason.  The last thing the world needs is another infomercial promise about staying young.  Think of it more as staying alive.

(Did anyone else just hear ha, ha, ha, ha staying alive, staying alive in their head?)

Not staying alive as in not dying, but staying alive to the glory of God.  To His goodness.  To His never-ceasing activity in and around and through you.

The bad news is some of us have neglected this part of our daily existence.  The good news is we can get it back, for we were made for wonder.  It’s been hardwired into our system.  As creatures made for a unique intimacy with our Eternal God, it’s unavoidable.  For when we do catch even a flashing glimpse of the magnitude of His greatness, the beauty of His character, the depths of His love, we are left—as my British friends would say—utterly gobsmacked.

Filled with wonder.  Of God.

That’s a good, no, a great thing.

Paul David Tripp in his book entitled Awe, puts it like this:  No other awe satisfies the soul. No other awe can give my heart the peace, rest, and security that it seeks.

We’d better get better at this.

Ponder this:

• We must take the time for wonder.  Don’t miss chances to slow down for moments that shouldn’t be missed.  Be still.  Be overwhelmed.  Let out an audible gasp or two.  Give God the glory He’s due.

• It won’t always be time-consuming.  What if we stopped seeing moments of wonder as such schedule-busters?  Our days are teeming with opportunities.  Tripp writes: “I came to see that I needed to trace awe of God down to the most mundane of human decisions and activities.”