Moments of Awe and Wonder

Modern-day Stoic philosopher Ryan Holiday writes about moments of awe and wonder, “These beautiful moments are available us whenever we want them. All we have to do is open our souls to them.”

“The soft paw prints of a cat on the dusty trunk of a car. The hot steam pouring from the street vents on a city morning. The smell of asphalt just as the rain begins to fall. The sound of a pen signing a contract, binding two parties together… a basket full of vegetables from the garden… A floor filled with a child’s toys, arranged in the chaos of exhausted enjoyment…”

Can you see it? Do you get the idea?

Holiday goes writes, “Don’t let the beauty of life escape you. See the world as the temple that it is. Let every experience be church-like. Marvel at the fact that any of this exists – that you exist… we can stop and bathe in the beauty that surrounds us, always.”

I think for myself: In the midst of the early days of the Pandemic, (when everything was so uncertain,) I remember feeling an upwelling of hope and even deeper meaning in seeing small gestures of kindness between neighbors, hearing the cheering on the news for nurses on their change of shifts, driving to work and seeing the resilience of life in a weed breaking forth from the concrete sidewalk; sitting here, staring up at the cross, and contemplating even for a moment the beauty of a life given in love.

Thomas Aquinas called this the study of wonder. In noticing, we become alive…

Recent psychology and neurology have actually shown that science bears this out. Moments of awe and wonder indeed can give us a sense of well-being, inner-groundedness, perspective, and peace.

Today, I invite you to open your eyes and notice anew with wonder the world around you. Make your own list. And as you do, may your spirit soar and your heart give thanks.

Let us pray: Gracious God, You have filled this world with beauty and grace, kindness and love. Grant us open eyes and open hearts. In Christ’s name. Amen.