Amazing

Dr. Gary Nelson

"...completely amazed..."

IMG_0021 by you.
IMG_0021 by you.



"They were all completely amazed and praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"(Mark 2:12)

I was in a cemetery early this morning taking a photo of a statue. I was struck by the lonely figure's beauty in the swirling snow. Then, just as I started to open my car door and escape the cold, I noticed one snowflake that had stuck to the housing of my side view mirror. I was no longer merely "struck," by something beautiful, I was amazed! It was almost as if God was playing with me a little and saying, "You want to see beauty and wonder? I'll show you beauty and wonder! Here, check out this itsy-bitsy precisely perfect snowflake."

Sometimes I think the world is divided into two kinds of people -- those who can be amazed and those who cannot. I'm definitely one of the former. I see and experience so many amazing things that God has prepared for me. These gifts from God send me into a state of awe and wonder -- amazement. Sometimes it's the glory of something as simple as a snowflake. Sometimes it's the awareness of once fractured relationships that are now healed. It's an interesting experience, one that reminds me that at heart I am a child -- a child of God, enjoying each amazing experience and eagerly anticipating the next one. To be amazed is to be invited momentarily into the majesty of God's love. I forget about the "how?" and simply let go to bask in the "wow!"

How sad it must be to live without amazement. I can't even imagine, but I can invite. I can invite those I meet in that awful state to open their lives to God's amazing love. I pray that God will help me always to be open in child-like amazement to the workings of divine love. How about you?

Blessings and Peace,
Gary
Pastor, Sand Hill United Methodist Church
Boaz, WV


Help save lives! For more information on my new book, "A Relentless Hope: Surviving the Storm of Teen Depression," visit www.survivingteendepression.com.

Check out my new video, "Teens Surviving the Storm"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1hSpxC_G24