The Pew Research Center studied a group of over 17,000 women to see what emotions were connected with spiritual well-being, and found that experiencing a sense of wonder on a regular basis was directly connected to a sense of wholeness and balance.
How have you experienced wonder contributing to your spiritual well-being?
One of the definitions of “wonder” is “the emotion excited by what is strange and surprising; a feeling of surprised or puzzled interest, sometimes tinged with admiration.” (Dictionary.com)
Find something strange and surprising today.
“There is no end to the things that can awaken our wonder, from the majesty of the night sky to the smell of lilacs in the spring to the turning of the leaves in the fall. And it is all right here, a feast of epiphanies and astonishments in the daily round of our spiritual lives.” -Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Slow down today and soak in the world around you. What is wondrous?
“I Wonder as I Wander” is a Christian folk hymn that imagines someone wandering through nature wondering about Christian theology.
Imagine yourself wandering through nature. What theological questions would you be wondering about?
“I sing because I… [have] found it the best way for me to express my joy or sorrow, and I can sense that people are sending back their own feelings.
“But it also allows me to step into the emotional shoes of the composer—to step beyond an intellectual empathy with another person and imagine that I really feel what he or she wanted to convey. So even if the lyrics are not something I would write, I have a deeper understanding of another human being.
“With gratitude we celebrate the gifts shared. With wonder and delight we receive. May the melodic offerings continue to touch our hearts and nurture our spirits.” -From a responsive reading by Carie J. Johnsen
Sing something today and notice how it makes you feel.
