It is easy for our lives to devolve into a refrain of the
ordinary and humdrum. The same chores,
the same work, the same people over and over dulls our thinking until all that
remains is plodding one foot in front of the other, a taking of things for
granted and perhaps even self-pity. What
can make the ordinary extraordinary?
SURPRISE
A birthday which no one has seemed to remember explodes with
excitement when those gathered for a surprise party shout “Happy Birthday!”. An unexpected visit or phone call or note in
the mail lifts our spirit and helps us see the world with new appreciation.
KNOWLEDGE
The ocean in its vastness appears to be only endless water
and wave until we learn about its creatures, its coral reefs, its deeply hidden
treasures. A skyscraper in the city will
fade into the background if we pass it every day to work, but reading a book or
seeing a documentary about the designing and engineering of that same building
can give us new eyes and that same building then causes amazement.
KINDNESS/COMPASSION
A kindness is shown to us when days are dark and suddenly
the world is full of colors again. We
show compassion to another and the wonder of living is restored. Perhaps it is realizing that there are others
with us on the hard road of life. Perhaps
it is the looking outside of ourselves that brings the transformation.
CHILDLIKENESS
A sense of wonder is usually lost as we mature and age, as
responsibilities overwhelm. Sitting with
a child, seeing and hearing as they see and hear can strip away the consuming
weight we have allowed to burden us, and allow again the appreciation of the
beauty around us.
THANKFULNESS
As Thanksgiving Day draws near this month of November, a
deliberate meditating on those things for which we are thankful will lift our
minds and hearts from the ordinary to give thanks to God for all that he has
given us, all that he has done for us and all that he is day by day, year by
year, decade by decade. And those things
are truly extraordinary.
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