“Look at this!” my younger sister showed me excitedly, beaming as she held up a bunch of wilted flowers. I looked. They did not appear special and looked as though they were just plucked from the side of the road. Yet, she saw something captivating in them that I did not. To her, they were something to be delighted by and in awe of. “Wow, those are so beautiful!” I said to her. In some ways, what I said was true; I loved my sister, and since she found the flowers beautiful, I did too. But I was not amazed in the way she was. Once upon a time, I, too, had run to my mother or a friend to show them what I had found. Why has my sense of wonder been diminished?
While some of us may not have had the same experience, at some point, we have realized that something of the wonder and zest for life we possessed as children is lost. As humans, we are created for wonder; we were designed to be in awe. Wondering points us to something greater than ourselves, reminding us that we do not have the answers for many things. Awe points us to the greatness of our Creator, leading us to worship. Both draw us outward, away from ourselves and our personal demands. When things like our schedules, responsibilities to others, or our own sorrows become heavy, we automatically turn inward and focus on the next task. The world we live in has evolved to make task-oriented lives normal. It is common to have a schedule that occupies every second of your day and to be reachable through technology at all hours and places. While our entire world is slowly losing its wonder, as children of the Living God, we are to take our focus away from ourselves and wonder at the things around us. Not just because it helps us be mindful or present. Not just to fight against the grip our culture has on us. But because Christ calls us to. Wonder is necessary. Wonder was ordained by God. Wonder is worship, and our Beloved Father invites us to experience Him anew through awe in His creation. Whether you look through microscopes, analyze Shakespeare, solve equations, or create music, may Christ meet you in a new and special way as you practice the art of worship through wonder.