By Sarah Rein
Exodus 15:11 is the beginning of the Song of Moses, praising God’s unique greatness and power, particularly after the Red Sea deliverance, by asking, “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?”
One of the more recent joys God has gifted me is the chance to be our school’s librarian for a few hours each week. In addition to being surrounded by books and reading stories aloud, two of my life’s great loves, I lead our younger students through a brief catechism about virtues.
After asking the children what it means to grow in virtue (the likely imperfect answer I came up with after some reading is “to become more excellent at being a human being”), we talk about our current virtue – wonder.
“What does it mean to be filled with wonder?” I ask.
To which they are learning to respond, “It means I am in awe of God and the world He made.”
And then we hold a leaf up to the light and examine its color variations, its veins, how it becomes dry and brittle after a few days (several of the children were alarmed by the fact I called it dead and suggested inventive ways we could perhaps save its life). We examine a famous painting of a tree and try to notice all the details the artist had to capture to create such a masterpiece. And we read stories about gardens and birds and seeds.
It is my dear hope that these children are being reminded that the mundane things we hardly register during our days on this earth are beckoning us to stop and consider their Creator. I recently read a book by Mississippi native Chad Holley, author of “Shield the Joyous,” a whimsical novel loosely based on his boyhood in rural Mississippi. In the chapter titled “God’s Possum” (insert the obvious chuckle), the narrator finds a dead possum and is gripped by the reverence of the moment. He then says a prayer over its body before sending it floating away up a creek on a piece of wood, attempting to return it to its Creator.
I got to hear Chad reflect on this scene, and he mentioned our tendency to domesticate things that have magic to them (I’m paraphrasing – apologies, Chad). Readers – could I admonish you to pause this week and be in awe of God? Put this magazine down and look at a person in the room with you. Really look at them. An eternal soul right in front of you. Walk outside and feel the sun – positioned so precisely in the sky that it makes our earth habitable by design. Hug your spouse, child, or parent and notice the color of their eyes. There is no better time than the beginning of autumn to sit outside, realize the oppression of summer is lifting, and relish the slight cool in the air.
Go be filled with wonder. Be in awe of God and the world He made.
Sarah Rein and her husband, Trey, are raising their four children in Brandon, where Trey is a school principal and Sarah is home a LOT. Luckily she’s an introvert who enjoys reading and learning about new things and people. The Reins love their church family at Lakeside Presbyterian and coffee.