Day 31

Wednesday, March 24
Job 36-37

A few years ago, my wife and I went to Zion National Park. We hiked a lot but my favorite hike was the Narrows. The hike consists of hiking in water through slot canyons sometimes over a thousand feet high while the river is twenty to thirty feet wide. It’s breathtaking. I understood rationally how over the course of a thousand years water had carved out these massive canyons. But being able to understand how the canyons were made did not capture the wonder I felt staring up at the cliffs.

There is much about our modern, scientific world that I am grateful for. From antibiotics to vaccines to breakthroughs in women’s health to understanding our impact on the planet, science has greatly improved our lives in many ways. But one of the losses of our scientific age is a decrease in our sense of wonder. Through great scientific advancements we can explain away almost everything, leaving little room to step back and appreciate how marvelous and amazing our world is.

Of course there are still opportunities to catch a glimpse of this wonder. When we travel to a new, beautiful place. When a new baby is born. When a snowfall blankets the grayness of winter. These are times when, while we may rationally understand what is going on, there is a sense of awe. When we feel that there is something greater, more beautiful, and more mysterious than science even attempts to explain.

Lent is meant to be a time of reflection, renewal and refocus. For many of us this is best done outside when we can catch a glimpse of wonder and awe in our world. Today I hope you take a walk. It might be raining or snowing so put on your snow and rain gear and get outside. Maybe listen to the song “So Will I” by Hillsong. Pause and be amazed that water falls from the sky. Or better yet, sometimes frozen, white water blankets our world in snow. Pause and consider how wild it is that trees and plants grow, providing shelter and food for animals. Breath in deeply and be grateful that our world has clean air that fills your lungs.

We live in a beautiful, awe inspiring, wonder-filled world. A world in which much can be explained by science, but there is a heavenly creator behind it all whom we can know if we only have eyes to see.

Prayer: “God, help me see the wonders of your world with new eyes today. Help me celebrate that life you have given me and the miracles all around me.”

Reflection by Rev. Matt Fulmer