I love the Colorado Rockies. So much so that while we could have honeymooned almost anywhere on earth, I asked my groom to start our married life there. To flatlanders who lived in a place where the curvature of the earth is nearly visible, the mountains reminded us of God’s strength; His goodness. Every day of that sweet beginning, the peaks created a sense of wonder towards our God and our awe lured us to worship in His love, His beauty and His truth.
But the honeymoon ends. It always does. Life encroaches and too soon we are caught up in necessary routines and habits. Hurry and stress, too much technology and information overload, the rhythms of life conspire to blot out the wonder of God. It is too easy to get caught up in the cycle of the mundane, to exchange awe and wonder for apathy. Unwittingly, we stayed buried in the boredom.
Which is why I’ve become a student of the wonder of the ordinary. Each day, our Creator lavishes this world with reminders, great and small, of His majesty. The world itself is a huge stockpile of God marvels. And I ponder: Am I cultivating the kind of spirit that is paying attention to and delighting in discovering God all day long?
He heaps a myriad of miracles in my days and I’m determined to not let them pass without feeling God’s beauty. Isaiah 26:19 states, You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy! That’s what I want to do every day – awake to the wonders of God and thank Him for them.
Admittedly there are days when a writing deadline forces me to reduce my world to my computer punctuated by short trips to the kitchen. Still God’s miracles intrude. They may be in the form of an email from a friend or the impatient gaze of my dog waiting by the door for a walk or in the magnificent yellow moon rising off the horizon at night. Over a welcome cup of hot tea, I pause and imagine God peaking over the canopy of the universe asking, “Who is paying attention to my everyday miracles? Who will grow today in their capacity for wonder and awe by seeing the unwrapped gifts I’ve placed in their path?”
Despite the weariness our routine creates, I know for certain God does incredible work in us when we lay fresh eyes on Him. When we cultivate a sense of awe and joy by paying attention to His cadence in our lives, we are driven to give thanks. We become more humble and grateful.
God invites us daily into an exquisite, loving relationship by sharing Himself in the beauty of the world around us. Wonder reminds us how big and awesome our God is. It is our call to worship for it is in worship we fully experience the unending grace of God. Revel in the joy, humor, sadness and love that are all a part of life. Become a student of the ordinary. May you awake to what a Heavenly Father’s outrageous love brings you each day and with childlike abandon shout for joy.