Wondering about Wonder
#121
Friend,
I was wondering, When was the last time you wondered?
Wonder is impossible for someone who is in control or loves control. When control is your dominant worldview, you are either directing it or chasing it. To put it another way, control controls you.
And control prevents you from wonder.
The Oxford Dictionary absolutely nails the definition of wonder, “A feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable.”1
I remember driving around at night with one of my kids when they were 3 or 4, and they were just so impressed with every single house that had Christmas lights.
“Did you see that one, Daddy?” He asked as we passed the seemingly 3rd house on the same street with plain white lights.
“Yeah, that was pretty cool, wasn’t it?” I replied, as a Father does to appease his children.
My son had just been surprised by something beautiful, unexpected, and unfamiliar, and he admired it. He was looking for something to admire, to take his attention, and I was worried about what I needed to do as soon as we got home.
Children get it. They are ready to wonder, but I’m afraid we are not. So, my encouragement this Christmas is to give up control and do something unfamiliar. Don’t do the same tradition, try something new, be open to the unexpected, and be ready for that feeling of surprise mingled with admiration.
Love,
Aaron
I am genuinely impressed with this definition for a variety of reasons, but the way you can stop after admiration, and you have this concise definition, or you go on a little bit more, and you get another layer of depth of meaning. As someone who likes to define terms, this is impressive.