Have you ever wondered about wonder? I mean have you ever thought why you attribute a beauty or awe to certain things? Have you ever been amazed how a large tree can grow from the tiniest crack in a massive rock? Have you ever been rapt by a sunset, a blanket of fog, or ridge of mountains in the fall? I know you have. And I also know you’re beginning to think I’m spending too much time in a tree stand, bored from not seeing deer. Not yet, but I can say this. Deer hunters are people who get to see some of the greatest wonders of earth. Sitting in a tree stand for hours really can make you focus on every particular area in view and analyze its most intricate pieces. There, you are forced to think deeper than what is on the surface. You don’t just see a tree or a rock but you see an oak and a piece of sandstone. You don’t just see an oak and a piece of sandstone, you see a strutting limb and a unique shape. You don’t just see a strutting limb or a unique shape; you see a guiding force that has sent a seed flying through the wind or a boulder rolling down a hill.
We have today what is known as the Seven Wonders of the World. They are called “Wonders” because the architecture of each structure is greater than the known ability of its designers at the time it was built. This “wonder” is not only in the form of question – “I wonder how these were built?” But the “wonder” here is also the prefix of “wonderful.” “What a wonderful sight to behold!”
Beauty is another feather in the hat of those of us who believe in God. Beauty cannot be explained by Darwin’s natural selection or randomness and yet it is evident in every human. If I were to place the world’s most decorated physician alongside a member of the world’s most uncivilized jungle tribe, in front of the Grand Canyon, both would stand in utter awe at the beauty of such a scene. In one way or another each would express the term “wonderful.” But given enough time, soon, “wonderful” would become “I wonder.” That is, I wonder how all of this could happen. And when “wonderful” is put with “I wonder,” the outcome is the same as my little rock and tree – there must be a Guiding Hand.
Reach Gary Miller at gary@outdoortruths.org
