Friday, October 14, 2016

How to Get Your "Awe" Back

One would think we were giving birth to a child that morning when my husband shouted out, “It's coming out! Get your camera!” I asked, “Where's my camera?” He replied, “In your phone.” I think I knew that, I needed to know where I had laid my phone down. Scrambling for cameras was preceded by Jim's discovery of a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis, the second of three we borrowed from the Fennel plant in our backyard in hopes of observing the metamorphosis of a butterfly.


We had both been working intently on editing a book in our spare time. In the midst of our challenging schedule we decided to make space for three caterpillars to crystallize and become butterflies. We were not disappointed. Several times a day we would check on the caterpillars to see the changes in progress. Some days we just missed it by minutes. It was our second caterpillar, formed chrysalis, causing the excitement that morning. Jim saw the butterfly in the process of emerging from the crusty shell in which it transformed from caterpillar to butterfly. It emerged all scrunched up and little by little its wings unfolded.

Now one might wonder how two busy adults could make time keeping tabs on the life cycle of caterpillars. I have to say it was a nice diversion. Have you ever found, when you were buried in a project, coming up for air and doing something totally different can clear your head and refresh you? When I allow myself to take a little time to enjoy the blessings of life in all the tiny details it helps put things into perspective and I get my awe back.

Even as I write this I am so bound in tiredness it is a struggle to do anything productive; I am uninspired. It is in the middle of this fog when I most need to take a break and go outside, or at the very least watch an inspirational nature video. Check out this amazing story of a humpback whale.


You may wonder what I mean by getting my awe back. It means being present to enjoy the moment, an awareness of all things beautiful in the world and people around me, taking time to marvel at all this goodness, and being grateful. You can count on me turning negative if I don’t take time to live in wonder and grow in gratitude. These mini awe-inspiring experiences lift my spirit out of the doldrums. Not only does this help change my attitude, it also helps me focus on “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable” (Phil. 4:8) when I allow myself to be present in these beautiful experiences.

Recently we had our house treated for termites. I was home the day Miguel came to do the trenching around the foundation. It was a nice day and I had all the windows and doors open. Eventually I heard whistling, then singing. This brought a smile to my face. Miguel was singing a beautiful song in Spanish, and though I did not understand the words I understood the melody. Pausing to listen brought some awe into my busy morning. What a lovely experience! It was the first time I had ever heard a stranger singing while working around my home. My spirits were lifted.

Paul tells us in Philippians 4:8, “if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” So when it comes down to it all these beautiful moments should move my heart to worship. The greatest awe factor is the Creator who designed all these beautiful details and moments for me to enjoy; it is sad to think I miss some of them when I am accomplishment driven and disconnected from my heart. I am ever so grateful for His patience toward me. He continues to bring moments of inspiration into my days even when I fail to pay attention.

It has been at least two months since I have posted; I miss writing and sharing with you. I would love to hear about the beautiful moments you’ve been given to wake up the awe in your life. Feel free to leave a comment below. And may you find your spirit lifted today and your heart in an attitude of praise.

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