Finding Wonder in Each Day

When was the last time you saw something amazing in the course of an ordinary day? It’s easy to find amazing things on vacation or visiting exotic locations. But finding wonder in each day seems silly to most people. That is, to most “grown up” people; children find wonder in every day. Somehow when we grow up and do the important things in life, we lose our sense of wonder. Yet I believe there are marvelous things without number that await us each and every day, if we look for them.

Welcome to Mindfulness Monday! Where we learn some easy ways to be more present “in the moment” at our jobs, in our homes, with our families and friends. Learning to recognize God and what He has for us in each divine moment He offers. We acknowledge the belief that God is with us always. We confess His presence is available to us, lifting our spirit and helping us with power and grace. Finding wonder in each day is another way of sensing God in everything around us.

where did the wonder go?

Having recently sensed notes of cynicism in my contemplation at the end of the day, I asked myself his question. “Where did the wonder go?” I speed through my days, not taking notice of things around me. When something intrudes on my path, I give it a cursory glance and move on. This problem became clear to me the other day when I viewed pictures of my little granddaughter’s petting zoo excursion. I don’t know about you, but I always feel sorry for those animals. They seem so scraggly and forlorn; yet there on my granddaughter’s face was the wonder of it all. I recalled another time when she laughed watching the wind toss the leaves on a nearby tree. When was the last time I watched the dancing leaves with wonder?

I love the story of Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up. While we all know the familiar story, I think there is a good object lesson hidden in the story. I find the lesson best portrayed in the popular movie “Hook”, starring Robin Williams. The film was inspired by a play that J.M. Barrie wrote after Peter Pan where she depicted Peter and Wendy as grown ups. They are of course married, have children, jobs and a house. In general living very boring, uninteresting lives, in a sense wondering what the big deal was in becoming a grown up in the first place.

Missing Neverland

Of course they end up going back to Neverland, but with their “grown up” mentality in tact. Tinkerbell and the Lost Boys see Peter has changed for the worse, but Peter doesn’t think so. Anyway, Peter eventually fits in again, and finds what he “lost” and takes that back with him to the real world and all is well. It is never articulated in the movie or the original story, but I believe what Peter found again was his “childlike wonder”. I believe that is the whole point of the Peter Pan story. Not that we can stay young and be silly and irresponsible, but that we stay “young” in our wonder and appreciation of the world around us.

Sadly, we have lost our sense of wonder. We have grown up. We no longer catch our breath at the sight of a rainbow or the scent of a rose as we once did. Just like grown up Peter in Neverland, we have grown bigger and everything else smaller, less impressive. We get so preoccupied with ourselves, opinions and plans, we become immune to the glory of creation around us. Barely noticing a flower bloom, the clouds race across the sky or a bird’s nest outside our window. We rake up the leaves as soon as they fall and pull up weeds without noticing the flowers nearby. Complacency drives us to lead practical lives. But we miss finding wonder in each day, experiencing awe and reverence for God in His creation.

Grace filled wonder everywhere

The world around us is saturated with grace. God’s lingering presence revealed not only in spirit, but in matter. We can find Him in the flight of an eagle, a rainbow after a summer storm, DeBussy’s Claire de Lune or the stars on a cold evening. God intended for us to discover His loving presence in the world around us. Having objective proof of God’s existence isn’t what we want, we long for the experience of His presence. That is the miracle of wonder.

The spirituality of wonder knows the world is full of grace. That while sin and war, disease and death are terribly real, God’s loving presence and power in our midst is even more real. He reveals Himself in the creation we take for granted, the tender kiss of a child, the kindness of a stranger and the warmth of a fire on a cold evening. Grace, that undeserved favor that rests upon us in innumerable ways throughout our days. That same grace that often goes unnoticed like so many unopened gifts.

finding wonder in each day through mindfulness

How do we live in the presence of a loving, living God? In wonder, amazed by the traces of Him all around us. One way to re-instill our lost wonder is by using mindfulness. I shared how to incorporate a mindful prayer into your day in a recent post. This is a great way to bring your awareness to the presence of God even in your daily tasks. Seeking Him to reveal Himself as you go through your day brings a sense of awe to the most mundane tasks.

If we view all we have as gifts from a loving, gracious God, we see them in a new light. If we view our schedules, activities and jobs as governed by a sovereign God, we seek to labor with excellence and receive interruptions with expectancy. Finding wonder in each day begins with acknowledging God’s presence and the gifts He places before us each day.

Seeking Wonder

Mindfulness is simply “being present”; an awareness of the present moment. Unfortunately as we saw earlier, as grown ups, we take life very seriously, have important work to do, and little time for wonder at the world around us. Some simple mindfulness principles can help us cultivate an attitude of wonder and appreciation for God’s grace around us.

• Slow Down. What’s the rush? You’ll never have this 24 hours before you again, determine to truly live each day.
• Have Eyes to See. Really “see”, don’t just look. Take an extra moment to see people, surroundings, and nature. Don’t just glance at the sunrise, savor it.
• Have Ears to Hear. Really hear what people are saying, listen intently to the music, allow the notes to permeate your soul. Listen to the sounds of nature, they are God’s orchestra playing for you.
• Pause. Nothing is more valuable than a sacred pause. Stop, breathe, feel your feet on the ground, the sun in your face. Don’t keep rushing from one thing to the next. Allow each task to finish, enjoy the accomplishment, then move to the next thing.
• Value People. Human beings bear the image of Almighty God, celebrate that. Choose to see the divine in every person you meet. In Matthew 25:31-40, Jesus reminds us that what we do to the “least” of men we do to Him.
• Appreciate What You Have. Practice gratitude for everything and everyone. Begin your day with gratitude for the gift of another day. End each day with gratitude for all the day held and that God has not dealt with you as your sins deserve.

Finding Wonder in each day is a gift

Truly experiencing the wonder of God’s presence and His ways in the moments of our day is a gift. I don’t want to wake up thinking it’s “just another day”, because the truth is, I’ve never seen this day before! Sadly, I recall too many days dominated by tasks without seeing, hearing or genuinely experiencing the moments of my day in God’s presence. But it’s never too late to return to Neverland and rekindle that sense of awe at the miraculous beauty all around you.

Join me in the pursuit of wonder in God’s presence. I close with this prayer I love by Rabbi Joshua Abraham Heschel:

“Dear Lord, grant me the grace of wonder. Surprise me, amaze me, awe me in every crevice of your universe. Delight me to see Christ play in ten thousand places; lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not His, to the Father through the features of men’s faces. Each day enrapture me with Your marvelous things without number. I do not ask to see the reason for it all; I ask only to share the wonder of it all.”

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Feature Image Photo by Matheus Bertelli from Pexels