A Sense of Wonder

A scholar and a farmer went for a walk together in the woods one day.  As they went along the trail, the scholar was constantly pointing at plants and rock formations and identifying them by their Latin names.  Little wildlife showed itself because of his noisiness, but the few birds they did see, he named quickly.

All the while, the farmer was silent, even as he walked along the same path.  He too saw the same plants and trees, but rather than thinking of their genus and species, he soaked in their beauty.

At the end of the walk, the scholar said to the farmer, "You've been awfully quiet.  I hope you've enjoyed our walk as much as I have."

The farmer thought for a little and then said, "You know a lot about all of the things we saw -- more than I'll ever know.  You still need to learn one thing -- never let your focus on details steal your sense of wonder."

I think about this story at this time of year, because it sometimes feels like Christmas is about lists -- lists of people to buy gifts for, lists of people to visit, lists of special candy or cookies to make -- and in all of the busyness, there is little time to breathe, let alone stop and remember what the whole point of the season even is.

I know I'm not very good at that -- I'm more the sort of person who holds his breath all the way through the month of December.  I only begin to respire again when New Year's Day is safely in the rearview mirror.  It certainly isn't the most enjoyable time of year for me, but I usually struggle through it...

One of the beautiful things about having children is being able to see things through their eyes.  The wonder of God becoming and infant and the amazing details of the plan that culminated in the birth of Jesus are awfully well known to me, but their eyes still light up as we read and talk about them.

Just for a minute or two, I would become like a child and feel that sense of wonder again.

There are many things that need to be done, but none is as important as to stop and breathe and just for a moment feel the wonder of it all.