An Invitation to Awe & Wonder

Awe and wonder can heal the soul. Imagine a night where you just happen to look up and see the beautiful black night sky contrasting with innumerable, shimmering stars, even noticing the Milky Way in the distance. What does this wonder at the vast majesty and beauty of the night sky do for your soul? It expands it with awe and wonder. Wonder can bring healing to hidden areas of our minds and hearts. Dr. David Benner, Professor of Psychology and Spirituality at Richmont Graduate school, puts it this way:

This sense of wonder can also help us recognize and appreciate the mystery of our own being. Those who retain a sense of their own mystery possess a vitality that expresses itself in terms of passion to explore and discover new aspects of their life. Wonder leads this exploration inward and downward–into places that analysis can never take us. It opens up space and possibilities. It nurtures the development of gratitude. And it keeps us grounded to the realities of our life and existence that we ponder in our hearts. 1

Consider stopping to behold an object for twenty minutes–noticing every detail of its essence? This practice can ground a person to being present in the moment, noticing hidden beauty, appreciating physicality, and worshiping the one who still holds all. This practice of contemplating one aspect of creation can lead to a radical sense of awe and wonder.

I stopped to pick up a pinecone.

I examined its immediate texture and appearance–

Rough, pointed and filled with gaps

Irregular, awkward and asymmetrical

Yet full of potential to soar–

Fifty, sixty, seventy feet high;

Green in winter–

Solid through the ages.

Providing shade–

Bearing more seeds,

Pointing upward.

Hidden Potential.

Actualize in me these seeds.

As I awoke the next morning, my pinecone had completely changed–opening up in surrender:

The pine cone unfolded today

Opened up its layered arms

Revealing slight, paper-like seeds

Delicate, wispy slivered seeds

Carried by the wind to

Hard roads, sticky fur and

Warm soil.

I unraveled in your Warmth

Unfurled in silence my soul

Exposed to light and love

I surrender these seeds

And their journey to Your Way

Rocky, Comforting, or

Abundant.

May you be healed in your innermost soul with awe and wonder. Take notice of an object of creation, lingering with it to find its hidden potential. May this object open up your own soul to the hidden mysteries that are already right there before your eyes. Be blessed by gratitude, spaciousness and possibility.

1 David G. Benner, PhD. Soulful Spirituality: Becoming Fully Alive and Deeply Human. Brazos Press:Grand Rapids, MI: 2011.