Wonder and Amazement

Good morning! I hope you had a wonderful weekend.

This past week my family and I welcomed Elishba, a friend of mine from India, to our home. I have done ministry work with her family for the past few years during my visits to India and was thrilled to have her join us this year for an internship.

One of the fun things about this visit is the opportunity to learn about a new culture. Over the weekend we introduced Elishba to the local shopping mall, the supermarket and a minor league baseball game. It was fun to see her amazement over things we take for granted as being common and everyday parts of our lives.

This got me to thinking about the danger of familiarity.

Luke 5:26 (NLT)
Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe. And they praised God, saying over and over again, “We have seen amazing things today.”

In the early days of Jesus’ ministry the crowds followed Him everywhere. They were amazed by the miracles He was doing. They were astounded by His teaching. The people had never seen anyone like Jesus or anything like His deeds. As time went on, the tide shifted, before it was all over with the crowds were no longer cheering Jesus, but instead calling for His crucifixion.

We really are not much different. We were so excited when we got the opportunity to work for the company, but over time the wonder and amazement turns to dread and resentment. The person we couldn’t wait to be with is now the person we want away from.

So what happened? How did our heart do such a complete turn in the opposite direction? At some point, we lost our sense of wonder and amazement. We quit discovering the opportunities of our work and became entangled in the minutia. We quit discovering what made that special person so special and turned our focus back towards our expectations.

It has been eye opening to hear Elishba’s observations of American culture, retail establishments and even our church. She is seeing things I don’t even notice anymore, because her eyes are wide open taking in every experience with newness. Her observations have helped me see things, I haven’t thought of, because my lens of evaluation is clouded by my experience and familiarity.

Today I encourage you to take off your lens of experience and look at your surroundings once again through the eyes of a stranger. Take note of the wonders and amazements that surround you. Reacquaint yourself once again with the people and places that have become way too familiar. You will be surprised at the new wonders you discover.

Until next Monday, may God’s richest blessings be yours this week.

Carl