How to Never Lose Your Sense of Wonder - Betty Streff
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How to Never Lose Your Sense of Wonder

wonder

How to Never Lose Your Sense of Wonder

“We are perishing for want of wonder, not for want of wonders.”~ GK Chesterton

 

Sure. Join the crowd. Give me a bad time about the huge number of unread emails on my iPhone. My family does. But I get so much good stuff! What if the next life-changing idea came from one of them? What would happen if I delete one that turns out to be especially mind-blowing? Might I miss the next big thing? I do unsubscribe to some, I swear. I also swear they grow back!

 

Recently I noticed the number had blown past 3500. I was afraid I might get caught with such a bloated inbox so I began ruthlessly deleting things, determined at least to get the number below 3000. I had a little unstructured time  so I tapped down the list and deleted emails like shelling peas. But suddenly I was captivated by a title. Curiosity and Wonder. I was drawn helplessly as if by a siren call to read it and that’s where my delete-athon derailed. I still have 2,989. Please don’t judge.

 

Wonder and curiosity? Sign up here.

 

This may sound crazy but does anyone but me remember The Adventures of Letterman? It was an animated super hero spoof on a kids’ show called The Electric Company back in the 70’s. It was narrated by none other than Joan Rivers! I enjoyed it more than my kids did I think. Letterman, the hero, would zoom in to save the day by changing a letter or two in a word and transform an entire situation. I thought about him when I saw the huge gap between wander and wonder. Yep, just one letter but what a difference!

 

What’s the difference?  When we just wander along, not pausing to see the miracles around us, life is flat and boring, lacking in meaning. But, if we stop to be amazed by the wonder that surrounds us it’s as if the whole world changes from black and white to color! Lee Ann Womack captured this truth in her hit song I Hope You Dance with these words; “I hope you never lose your sense of wonder, You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger May you never take one single breath for granted….”

 

How to hold on to wonder

 

Jesus taught, “Become like little children.” Lift up your eyes. See life through the fresh new eyes of your childhood.  Begin to see yourself and everyone around you for the miracle you are. Stay curious! Romans 12:2 says “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” It is possible to live in a perpetual state of wonder if you follow this advice.

 

Wonderment is as simple as seeing life through new eyes. Simple yes, but the wisest and most intelligent men who have ever lived have pondered it.

 

Albert Einstein said it well.

“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom the emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand wrapped in awe, is as good as dead —his eyes are closed.”

 

Keep your eyes open! See you Monday!

birds wonder

 

4 Comments
  • Gail
    Reply

    Great perspective again! And if one wonders about the uncountable snow flakes, the stars above — I think we all drop to our knees.

    February 22, 2018 at 3:28 am
  • Molly
    Reply

    When we stop to look and take it all in, we see miracles all around us.

    February 22, 2018 at 6:36 am
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