Living In Wonder

This post was written by TeenPact Student Body Representative Josiah Wolfe from North Carolina

Recently, a friend showed me a song he found, and a specific part has continued to ring in my ears. It says,

“I remember when a photograph was worth a thousand words.

Now a thousand pictures come my way, every day.

And I like them all the same, but they can’t take my breath away.”

That last line is thought-provoking. “They can’t take our breath away.” Is that true? And if so, what does that say about our culture? Let me ask this; what takes our breath away? 

I wrestled with that thought for a long time. In this day and age, I can have any of my questions answered, regardless of the topic, complexity, or popularity. Just think, in a fraction of a second, I can have every book ever written pulled up on my screen in a matter of moments. With one short keyword search, and every stunning work of art ever made is before my eyes. It is no wonder that very little takes our breath away.

When was the last time you looked at God’s creation and were amazed by its artistry? When was the last time you couldn’t help but sit in silent shock over a work that God had done? When did you last look at the heavens and ponder the person of Jesus, rather than scroll through your phone?

Friends, we have lost our sense of wonder. 

Hebrews says,

“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”

Truthfully, we have cheapened the words reverence and awe. By “we” I am speaking to Christians, for how can one who has no connection to Christ honestly know what reverence and awe describe? I frequently say, “that is awesome!” without a thought. However, if I had a genuine wonder in mind, I would not compare it to such small feelings. I can see through my actions and words that true reverence and awe are not at the forefront of my mind.

Nevertheless, merely expressing the problem does us no good. As “doers” of the Word, we reverse the tendency towards a wonderless character. My wish is that we would all purposefully and intentionally exercise the discipline of wonder. Start right now. I have found that if you think deeply about the most incredible thing in existence, and you ponder the intricacies of His being, it turns out it is not so hard to take our breath away.

Let us think of One who created the universe and all that is in it with a single word, from the endless space above to the habitable planet on which we reside. Down to the smallest atom and molecule that makes up the very air we breathe.

Let us think of One who is sovereign over every action, every word, and every thought. Over every country and government, every political movement and revolution, and every man we call President.

Let us think One who looked upon a disgusting people who reveled in their rebellion and sin yet still declared them children.

I pray that the marvel of the pure gospel never wears away from the church. I pray that we never forget our identities as worshipers of Christ. I pray that our wonder is never lost.

Student Body Representative Josiah Wolfe

The ideas, conventions, and opinions expressed in this article are original to the author. These views are not the stated beliefs held by TeenPact Leadership Schools.  For more information on TeenPact Leadership School’s Vision and Values, please visit https://teenpact.com/vision-values/.