"I Need More Wonder"

I prayed these four words two days ago as I was working among my plants in the patio garden. It seems that I am hard-wired to experience worship and wonder when I am growing things.

Being outside in nature has the same effect on me. I love that if there is a rainbow in the sky, our ten year old Leah knows to come get me so I can see it. Too many times to count I've drawn my family's attention to a beautiful sunset, an amazing moon, or a star-filled sky. One of my greatest pleasures is a 60-degree morning, with birds singing, dew on the ground and the solitude of me, my plants and the Holy Spirit.

As many lessons as I have learned from nature...some that are so intimate that there are no words...I still found myself lifting this phrase to God on Wednesday afternoon: "I need more wonder!" I also have walked with Him long enough to know that a heartfelt prayer such as this would definitely be answered. God loves for us to delight in Him and to enjoy with amazement the beautiful Creation that is all around us.

Then yesterday as I read through the liturgy for August 8th in my new book Common Prayer, you guessed it the theme was "wonder". In fact, it repeats this same line twice, "Help us to watch and pray, Jesus:  prepare our hearts to wonder."

This should be my prayer everyday though shouldn't it? I have found that when I look for the Amazing...that is precisely when I find it.

Amen!