Never question the truth of that which you fail to understand. For the world is filled with wonders.
L. Frank Baum (‘Rinkitink In Oz’ from Land of Oz series)
One of the many drawbacks to this easy-access, instant-information era, in which we can ‘Google’ almost anything, is that the lure and luster of wonder have drastically diminished. While it may seem delightfully practical to have all the facts at our fingertips, the problem is that faith, wisdom, and ideas might be on the chopping block along with actual research.
I remember the wonder, awe and the excitement of discovering whole hidden worlds when I was a boy. The woods and lake in Danville, Illinois, where I spent countless hours with my friends were so much more than places or destinations. We were eager and able to focus up and down with magnificent dexterity when we were children. At one moment our eyes were microscopes that found tiny crawling things in the grass, under rocks, and in the water.
Life was teeming beneath our feet. Small hands explored every detail without concern for time. At another moment our eyes were binoculars or telescopes which identified clouds that looked like dinosaurs or monsters or any other imaginable thing. Life was exploding just above our heads. We created forts and trails that were home to wild adventures. Play came naturally and was unsupervised by incredulous or judgmental adults. But the hidden worlds gave way to demands of another reality too soon.
The wonders of life and capacity for spiritual growth spring forth from those things which we don’t understand. When presented with new experiences, problems that seem unsolvable, challenges beyond tested limits, and unexplored beliefs, we expand our ideas to become someone who is changed. The fact that we can’t fix a meaning to what is happening is pivotal. It is the birth of wonder. God is speaking to us in such moments.
That is something you just can’t Google.
Other Resources:
The Sense of Wonder
Why we need to preserve this vital capacity and how solitude can help.