by Christine Sine
The one who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.3 The man who guards the door opens it for him. And the sheep listen to the voice of the shepherd. He calls his own sheep, using their names, and he leads them out.4 He brings all of his sheep out. Then he goes ahead of them and leads them. They follow him because they know his voice. (John 10:2-4 International Children’s Bible)
Photo by Paweł Czerwiński on Unsplash
Yesterday I posted about our need to reimagine our world and the names of all the creatures in it with awe and wonder. I mentioned that in Genesis humankind named all the animals. Today I was struck by the fact that though we got to name the animals, it is Jesus who names us just as a shepherd names each of the sheep in his flock.
By what name does Jesus call you that gives you a sense of the awe and wonder with which he regards you? There is our given name – Christine “follower of Christ” is mine and it is one that I am very proud of as I suspect that Jesus did play a part in my naming. But what other names has Jesus given me that make me distinctive from all the other Christine’s in this world? Here are some that I hope are on the list – healer, encourager, inspirer, friend and companion.
What about you? What are the names that distinguish you from every other person in the world, the names that make it possible for Jesus to call to you so that you know he is calling you and you alone?
by Christine Sine
“We have stunned the world out of wonder” says Robert MacFarlane in his fascinating book Landmarks. He goes on the suggest that “once a landscape goes undescribed and therefore unregarded it becomes vulnerable to unwise use or improper action.” I think the same is true of animals and even something as small as an insect or the microbial bacteria in the soil. Not just a landscape or an animal I speculate as I think of the 1 million species that might become extinct as a result of human action and the millions of faceless refugees and houseless people that live around us but that we rarely notice. “Language is fundamental to the possibility of re-wonderment for language does not just register experience, it produces it” MacFarlane says.
Robert Macfarlane – Landmarks
Landmarks has enthralled me this week, perhaps because it so resonates with the themes of my book The Gift of Wonder feeding new life into my already rich awe and wonder walks. What if I try to name each plant and tree that I pass – not just with the generic name of its species but with specific names that describe its beauty and its glory? The lilac bush outside my window could become the fragrant purple flowered bush that fills my heart with delight. What if I try to find out the name of the man who sits on the corner each day begging for money and address him with a name that gives him dignity and respect? If I can’t find out his name I can give him one – the man with rugged face and far away eyes who speaks a language I do not understand.
The Way We Name Things Matters.
The way we name things matters. “A desert wasteland” does not need to be respected. An undulating dune landscape hiding the wildflower seeds of future glorious blooming does. With a wave of our hands and the words of our mouth, we have re-enchanted this landscape, re-invested it with wonder and expectation.
I suspect this is what happened when Adam named the animals in Genesis. Each naming I suspect was an occasion of awe and wonder. I cannot imagine that he just gave them a generic “horse”, “dog” “antelope” kind of name without forethought or consideration for what the animal was. My impression is that he sat and pondered each one. Looking closely, maybe examining the creature, seeing how it was created and then naming it. The more intimately he knew the animal the more certain he was of what to call it.
How Many Names Have We Lost?
Bongo Antelope
The origin of many of the names by which we now know our animals has been lost but they still have meaning for us. Gazelle immediately conjures up an image of a swift, fast running antelope. Elephant is a large mammal with a long nose and beautiful curving tusks. Unfortunately there are many other created creatures we no longer name. Some of them we know better cars that speed across the landscape like cheetah and jaguar and impala or that trample its beauty with off road driving like rams and broncos . I was very concerned as I read MacFarlane’s book to hear that in the latest version of the Oxford Junior Dictionary there was a culling of words concerning nature. Words like dandelion, heron, herring, kingfisher, lark, and leopard. New additions included blog, voice-mail, cut-and-paste.
How many creatures no longer register on our consciousness because we have no name for them or else have given them a name with negative connotations – like dandelions – weeds to one person, obviously something to be forgotten by kids but the most nutritious plants in the garden to another?
What Would It Take to Re-Wonder Our World?
Rewondering the world
I love Lilly Lewin’s suggestion in last week’s Freerange Friday that we need to take a a wonder vacation, not to get away from wonder but to reintroduce it into our lives. To rewonder our world we need to rediscover that this is a place of mystery and that means we need to slow down and take time to notice. Re-wonderment means noticing not just the flower, but the unique and beautiful arrangement of each petal, the stamens at its center beckoning insects to its feast. Re-wonderment means stopping to inhale the fragrance, the heady aroma, more exotic than any perfume, that often only lasts for a few short days before it fades.
My awe and wonder walks have opened my eyes to new depths of wonder. Awe does beget awe. Wonder inspires wonder, and in the process, there is that sense that we once more walk in the garden with God.
Pause for an Awe and Wonder Walk Today
I challenge you to pause your day for at least 1/2 an hour, and go on your own awe and wonder walk today. Re-expose yourself to the wonder of God’s world and the delight God intends you to find in interacting with it.
Walk around your neighbourhood. What catches your attention? It could be something as seemingly insignificant as an ant crossing the pavement. Where did it come from? Where is it going? What is its purpose? What do you learn about yourself and about God as you watch it. In what ways does it open you up to the awe and wonder of our world?
Have you had your dose of awe and wonder this week. Here are a few that I have seen or else had sent to me. I love this sketch “beauty from rocky ground” that Janet Sue Smith sent me.
For me personally however my awe and wonder sightings have revolved around babies. I delighted in the birth of little Archie to Harry and Meghan but even more than that I delighted in the birth of May Wallace Mackey to my best friend’s son Wade and his wife Abbey.
May Wallace Mackey
May Wallace Mackey
On the other side of the world in Australia, I am awed by the birth of my 2 new nieces Lucy and Ally and my nephew Conor. I am also awed by the technology that it makes it possible for me to watch their antics on Facetime instantaneously. Babies are truly awe inspiring. We are all fearfully and wonderfully made.
Babies Lucy, Ally and Conor
Of course it would be hard for me not to be inspired by nature during the week and this week it has been this magnificent orchid cactus that has held my attention – the color, the form and the size are incredible
Together with my orchid cactus
What was your awe and wonder sighting today?
We all need the space and time for wonder. The motto at St. Cecelia School here in Nashville is “Wonder leads to knowing.” I think this means knowing ourselves and God better! Christine Sine is challenging us all to experience more awe and wonder in our lives.
Maybe you need a wonder vacation, or a wonder holiday. A designated time away from things so that you can give yourself permission to experience wonder in a way that feeds your soul. In order to experience wonder, I think we have to plan for it. Then after we make a plan, we have to actually take the time to practice receiving the gift of wonder.
It’s not always easy to do. It’s a real gift that we can give to ourselves and one another…the gift of time and space to experience wonder. Even for an hour!
Life gets so busy that if we don’t plan to pay attention, we will miss all the beauty that surrounds us. We will miss the smile on a baby’s face, or the funny things that the dog does while he’s sleeping. We won’t see the simple beauty of a wildflower by the road when walking the dog. Or we will miss the billowing clouds and not feel or see the breeze blowing in the newly leaved trees.
We all need help to experience wonder.
We need help and permission to remove the things that block us from experiencing awe and wonder and beauty.
What things block you from experiencing awe and wonder?
For me: politics, busyness, worry, fear, too much work, anger, anxiety about the future, poor health or fear of poor health, the dreaded phone!
What’s on your list?
What things block you from experiencing awe and wonder?
What things prevent you from noticing the beauty around you?
During Lent I needed to stop listening to TV news so that I could experience more peace in my life and less craziness. I’ve continued this practice post Easter and have cut down my NPR( National Public Radio) habit so I can stay sane. And cutting out the daily grind of political news has sure helped me have more space for WONDER!
After figuring out what things block you from wonder, now it’s time to consider what experiencing wonder looks like for you. What does WONDER look like to you? Where and how do you experience WONDER?
Where are you? What are you doing? Who are you with ,or are you alone?
Are you going outside in nature?
Is Wonder going to a bookstore on your own without kids or distractions?
Is it riding your bike or taking a walk or a run?
Is it creating something or watching someone else create something beautiful?
Is it visiting a place of beauty? Is it going to a museum?
Make a list of what wonder looks like for you.
I made a trip to the northwest to get my cup filled up at the end of April. I needed to be around creative, encouraging people. I needed to see water and mountains. And I made a special effort to see the end of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival because I knew that the beauty and wonder of the flowers would feed my soul.
What would a Wonder Trip look like for you?
You might not have the space for an entire Wonder trip or weekend, but author Julia Cameron in The Artist Way, has us take ourselves on an artist date. She defines an Artist Date as:
The Artist Date is a once-weekly, festive, solo expedition to explore something that interests you. The Artist Date need not be overtly “artistic”– think mischief more than mastery. Artist Dates fire up the imagination. They spark whimsy. They encourage play. Since art is about the play of ideas, they feed our creative work by replenishing our inner well of images and inspiration.
I took myself to our local art museum last Saturday, even though I knew it would be crowded and even though I had lots to do around the house. I knew I needed a bit of wonder in my soul and I knew that Monet would provide that!
Where would you go on an Artist Date with yourself? What would that involve? What WONDER would this bring you? Plan it! Give yourself permission to do it! In order to experience wonder we need to plan it and give ourselves permission to practice and experience it! I’d love to hear more about what you plan!
“Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and friends can exist one day without any one of us, and if our egos permit us to confess, they could exist eternally in our absence. Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for. Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us.”
― Maya Angelou, Wouldn’t Take Nothing for My Journey Now
“We need to find God, and God cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature– trees and flowers and grass– grow in silence. See the stars, the moon, and the sun, how they move in silence. The more we receive in silent prayer, the more we can give in our active life.” Mother Teresa
GARDEN SALE
Honoring our mothers is one of the delights for many of us of Mother’s Day, which in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand falls on this coming Sunday. Here is a litany I wrote several years ago that I thought some of you would appreciate.
Loving and nurturing God, we thank you for mothers.
For all they mean or have meant to us.
We thank you for the love they have shown and the care they have given.
For the many times they gave us hugs and held us close.
Loving and nurturing God we thank you for the qualities of mothers.
For their patience, their kindness, concern and understanding, in so many ways reflecting who you are.
We thank you for the part they play in our lives,
and for this special day of saying ‘thank you’ to them.
Loving and nurturing God we thank you for the wonder of your mothering.
As a mother protects her children, you watch over us day by day.
We thank you for your arms which always encircle and protect us,
Your hands shield and deliver us from harm.
Loving God, we pray for those for whom Mother’s day brings heartache rather than celebration.
We pray for those who have never known their mother or whose mothers have died.
We thank you for your mothering heart and your tender love ,
Which nurtures all who feel abandoned and lost.
We wait with those who long to be mothers but as yet have not had their own children.
We grieve with those who ache because they will never be mothers.
We thank you for their mothering hearts which long to be expressed.
Lord in your mercy, mother us all with your love.
We pray for those who struggle with the way their children have chosen to live their lives.
And grieve with those who are orphaned or have a difficult relationship with their mother.
We thank you that when we long for a mother’s love you do not abandon us.
Lord in your mercy, mother us all with your love.
May all of us have the comfort of knowing that your mothering love is constant,
Your understanding is perfect and your compassion is never-ending.
We thank you that you gave birth to all of us with delight and joy,
Lord in your mercy mother us all with your love.
Amen
This prayer was inspired by and adapted from prayers I found on this site Unfortunately these prayers are no longer available.
This is the last of a series that I have posted on God as mother this week as a preparation for Mother’s day. Here are the other posts:
Meditation Monday – Connecting to the Mother heart of God
Biblical Maternal Images of God by Shiao Chong
Maternal Images of God – a video – reposted 2019
Let’s Get Creative – Honouring Our Mothers
By Sheridan Voysey —
Slowly. Attentively. Without rush or hurry. One foot placed gently after the other, leaving a single line of prints on the shore. Waves slide over the sand like soft blue bed sheets and leave frothy white bubbles as they recede.
Teach me, God. Teach me.
One last retreat day on Lindisfarne Island before my pilgrimage to Durham begins. I started it this morning watching dark clouds flee from an expanding horizon of blazing orange, and after early prayers at St Mary’s Church, had returned for breakfast as beams of light hit the ocean. Now I walk on the island’s windswept north shore.
I feel the bubbles pop beneath my feet and think about church this morning. We’d read verses from Proverbs 8, where wisdom cries out to be noticed. “I was born before the oceans were created,” she says, before mountains were formed and the first handfuls of soil scattered. And as an artist’s soul can be revealed through her paintings, so this divine wisdom can be glimpsed in creation:
“I was there when he established the heavens…”
“I was there when he set the clouds above…”
“I was there when he set the limits of the seas…”
Attend, Sheridan.
I stop still and face the ocean.
Attend to what you see.
The salty north wind hits my face, powerful yet benign. It tousles my hair and chills my wet feet. I am alone on the beach. There isn’t another soul for miles. There are no boats, boardwalks, jetties, or hotels—just raw sea, sky, and shore.
Open my eyes, God. Show me more.
I gaze at those waves, so dark and choppy. Another world lies beneath them: schools of salmon and mackerel surging to and fro; shimmering pilchard, cod, redfish, and herring. In those waters are delicacies like lobsters and mussels, and, further out, dolphins, stingrays, and minke whales, and waves so large they can drive tankers to the sea floor.
And the sky above me—a myriad of wonders lies beyond it: millions of suns and trillions of planets in our Milky Way, a galaxy that is but one of 100 billion others, all twirling round like carousels.
I take a scoop of sand and let it slip through my fingers. Each grain is a wonder in itself. For if we were to dive into one we would glide past buzzing atoms, sail through electron storms, crack open protons and find our universe in miniature form, with quarks dashing around in nanoscopic space like shooting stars.
This world is beautifully arranged, finely designed, intricately tuned, wisely made. And to think: if Earth were a little closer to the sun or if gravity were dialed down a few notches, the whole wonderful thing would dissolve in a second.
“I stared at my screen this morning,” my wife Merryn said to me during a difficult season a few years ago. “And I wondered if this is it.”
“If this is what?” I’d asked, watching her chin quiver.
“If this is all my life will be since we’re not going to have children—just spreadsheets and numbers and analysis of data. Dry. Boring. Meaningless.”
And with an unusual boldness, I’d said that was a lie. Merryn’s life would never be meaningless, pointless, or futile. Neither would mine, as unsure as I was about my own identity and calling; nor my readers, for whom I would also walk tomorrow, heading off on a quest to discover who we can become when life doesn’t go as planned.
Because while I have many questions over its tremors and trials, I still believe ours is a meaningful world. Blazing orange skies speak of it, I hear it whispered in the sea and the sky and the shore. And while there may be times when we feel like jigsaw puzzles thrown in the air, wondering who we are and why we’re here, the One who made the heavens and the seas made us with infinite wisdom too.
The same hands that made the galaxies crafted us in the womb.
Making us as significant as the stars.
…
This post was adapted from Sheridan Voysey’s new book The Making of Us: Who We Can Become When Life Doesn’t Go as Planned (Thomas Nelson).
Sheridan Voysey is a writer, speaker, broadcaster, and author of The Making of Us, Resurrection Year, Resilient and other books. He is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 2 and other international networks, and has featured on BBC Breakfast, BBC News, Day of Discovery, and publications like The Sunday Telegraph. He is married to Merryn, and lives and travels from Oxford, United Kingdom. Find him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and get his free eBooks and podcasts at www.sheridanvoysey.com
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