A few weeks ago Jeanne and I had the privilege of being with our four grandchildren for a week at the beach.  It was great to see their enthusiasm, excitement, and sense of awe during our time together.  It’s unfortunate that as we grow older we may lose our sense of awe and become jaded to life.  Susanna, who is two years old, stood at the edge of the seashore and with wide eyes looked out at the ocean with wonder.   She was probably thinking, “This is the biggest bathtub I’ve ever seen!“

Think about how many “firsts“ a young child experiences – so much is new to them.  Awe gives us a sense of wonder and excitement to life.  Is it inevitable that we must lose our sense of wonder?  Not according to the Psalmist,

You who fear the LORD, praise Him; all you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, and stand in awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel.  (Psalm 22:23)

We stand in awe of God and we can also stand in awe of His creation,

They who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs; You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy.  (Psalm 65:8)

Also God‘s word is a great source of awe, especially during times of difficulty,

Princes persecute me without cause, but my heart stands in awe of Your words.  (Psalm 119:161)

A forthcoming article in the Journal of Psychological Science has a fascinating article by Stanford researchers entitled, “Awe Expands People’s Perception of Time, Alters Decision Making, and Enhances Well-Being.”  The researchers state that the impetus for their study was to examine one’s perception of time,

Time might be the scarcest commodity for many people in modern life. A recent poll of

over 1,000 Americans found nearly half (47%) felt they lacked enough time in daily life (Carroll, 2008). This feeling of having too much to do and not enough time to do it—or “time famine” (Perlow, 1999)—has been linked to undesirable side effects including trouble sleeping, stress, difficulty delaying gratification, and postponing seeing a doctor when ill (Lehto, 1998; Vuckovic, 1999; Zhang & DeVoe, 2010). In light of these findings, we asked, what could be done to shift people’s perception of how much time is available?

Research has discovered the implications of experiencing awe in one’s life,

Does awe have the potential to increase perceived time availability? Prior research and

theory suggest so. Experiences involving awe, such as optimal athletic performances (Ravizza, 1977), peak experiences (Maslow, 1964), and spiritual or mystical events (Fredrickson & Anderson, 1999), often also involve a sense of timelessness (Csikszentmihalyi & Hunter, 2003).  The phenomenology of awe, therefore, suggests it might expand perceptions of time.  (Here is a link to the complete article.)

How is your sense of wonder and awe?  Imagine seeing the events of life with a fresh perspective.  As C.S. Lewis described our relationships with others he wrote in the Weight of Glory,

All day long we are, in some degree helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with that awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never met a mere mortal.

Think about that – you have never met a mere mortal!  Every relationship, every interaction can be an awe inspiring experience.  Take some time today and glance up at the heavens and let your heart be filled with awe about the awesome God who is even greater than the heavens!