What does your sense of wonder say about you?

Does it reflect your inner curiosity? Your hunger to know more about the world around us? Your wishes for new opportunities or experiences?

Wonder can describe our innermost dreams and aspirations – that curiosity and desire we have to understand our place in the world. We are not called to be an island unto ourselves, but to engage the world, affirming the beauty, value and potential in ourselves and in others.

As Orthodox Christians, we can have a God-centered sense of wonder, having a sense of awe when we see the beauty in God’s creation – both in nature and in our neighbors.

The eighth ode of the canon for Holy Saturday, composed by St. John of Damascus, says, “Be amazed, O heavens! Be shaken, O foundations of the earth! Behold, He that dwells in the highest is numbered among the dead and sheltered in a lowly tomb. Bless Him, O youths! Praise Him, O priests! O people, exalt Him above all forever!”

While St. John’s words were written in the ninth century, they still challenge us today to remember that with God, nothing is impossible.

We may not be able to fully comprehend God or what He accomplished through His Son, Jesus Christ, but we can offer prayers and gratitude with fear, humility, a sense of awe, love, faith and a bit of wonder.