I heard a comedian do a bit one time about how “everything is amazing right now, and nobody’s happy.” He continues riffing about airplane Wi-Fi . . .
“I was on an airplane, and there was internet—high-speed internet—on the airplane. That’s the newest thing that I know exists. And I’m sitting on the plane, and they go, ‘Open up your laptops. You can go on the internet.’
And it’s fast, and I’m watching YouTube clips—it’s amazing—I’m in an airplane! And then it breaks down. And they apologize, ‘The internet’s not working.’ The guy next to me goes, ‘This is bull.’
Like how quickly the world owes him something he knew existed only 10 seconds ago.”
I think he’s right . . . we’ve lost our sense of wonder. We’ve grown to expect immediate results. While staring at our phones, mindlessly scrolling or waiting for Siri or Alexa to answer our latest query, we miss out on the vast creation right in front of us, and more importantly, the wonder of the Creator who made it all (including us!).
Regi Campbell, author of this blog, has written for Discipleship·org a eBook called Fill Your Seats, which is available for free digital download in your favorite format here.
Even when we’re engaging with Him, reading the Bible, we can ignore the wonder right in front of us. How easy is it to discount the impact of passages that tell us how God “knitted me together in my mother’s womb,” or how “even the very hairs on your head are all numbered,” or how we are “fearfully and wonderfully made,” just because we have read them numerous times before?
At our recent Mentor Summit in the North Georgia mountains, Todd Fields led us in worship. In addition to being an incredible worship leader, Todd has also picked up astrophotography and specifically loves shooting the night sky. When you live in the city of Atlanta, or even the nearby suburbs, the night sky isn’t much to see. But in the mountains, away from the smog and city lights, the view is remarkable and just another example of the wonder we often overlook. Todd took some awesome photos during the weekend (like the one above) and helped us take in the wonder of our Creator, not only through worship songs but also through pausing to admire His creation . . . the beautiful sky above us.
If you still need a little more inspiration, take in this 10-minute message from Louie Giglio . . .
So, join me this week in taking a few minutes to soak it all in. Slow yourself down enough to see the vast number of miracles around you. Don’t panic . . . it won’t take long to find a few of them.
Wow!
Challenge: Up the wonder in your life this week. Take a drive to somewhere you can see the night stars. Or take your kids on a nature walk. It doesn’t have to be nature related, maybe there’s a cool museum near you, just do something to help yourself and those that matter to you recover a little bit of their sense of wonder and in turn their appreciation for the Originator of that wonder.
Written by Regi Campbell
Regi is the Founder and Chairman of Radical Mentoring, a nonprofit focused on equipping and encouraging churches to build disciples and disciple makers through intentional men’s small group mentoring. Regi believes the future of the local church is intimately connected to the development of strong Jesus-following lay leaders who will lead their wives, children, businesses, neighborhoods, and churches with God at the center.