The Seventh gift of the Holy Spirit is my favorite, Wonder and Awe, not Fear of the Lord. Personally, that doesn’t sound like a gift to me. Wonder and awe makes us aware of the glory and majesty of God. It increases our desire to draw closer to Him.
So what is wonder and awe? It is that wondrous, unexpected, indescribable, incomparable, “surprise of the soul” that takes our breath away. It is the spark of love that discovers our soul.
There is the sadness I think many of us experience in relation to wonder and awe. As we get older, there is less and less that is new and surprising. We have all seen so much in our lifetimes. It is the curse of a good education and a sharp, perceptive mind that by middle age, you know a great deal and by old age, you have seen it all. Sure there is more for us to know than we can ever take in, but the experience of surprise comes less and less.
In our adulthood we are in pursuit of wonder and awe-whether through fulfilling work, a loving family life, meaningful religious experience, or even through drugs, wild living and fast cars.
We miss the wonder and awe of our childhood and many live under the mistaken notion that the capacity for the experience of wonder and awe is gone. This is so not true.
You know the feeling. It is when you stand before the Grand Canyon, or listen to a moving melody or lyric, stare with hope at a stunning sunrise, take comfort in a sunset that streams in stripes across the western sky. Awe is a mixture of emotions, reverence, fear and a sense of marvel and amazement. It can move your innermost soul and sweep you away from your worldly cares into the divine presence. You can feel your knees weaken and a stirring in your soul. You are transported, transfixed and transformed from the mundane to the maybe.
The spirit of God has endowed us with the capacity to do what only human beings can -to worship what is invisible, to search what is unknowable, and to realize what is impossible. The greatest achievement of the human spirit is that we can endure the pain, overcome the fear, and sing the most beautiful music in the midst of suffering.
Once we learn to see things with our spiritual eyes, we begin to see the world anew. What is commonplace becomes sacred, what is mundane takes on new meaning and significance, and what is unattractive reveals its hidden beauty.
Coming full circle, the 7th gift of the Holy Spirit is the source of the first gifts, Wisdom and Understanding. Sacred encounters enable us to sense the divine in small, common and simple things.
How do we restore the magic moments of wonder and awe? How do we bring back the child in each of us?
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We need to keep our eyes and minds open to new possibilities; be curious.
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We need to avoid the trap of taking things for granted. By assuming that we already know all the answers, we automatically tune out new discoveries and understandings.
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Remember that one does not live by bread alone. Make time to listen to God’s still, small voice and appreciate His creation. A glimpse of the glorious sunset can take our breath away.
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We need to remember those moments, when we were touched by a profound sense of wonder. These memories are probably when you remember being the most alive.
Finally, I wish you a “WONDER a DAY”, a sense of wonder can make your spirit soar!
If you do, you will have a “WONDERFUL life”
Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God exclaiming, "We have seen amazing things today." - Luke 5:26