It was Friday the 13th and even with all the lights out, the night sky glowed brightly. The moon – tinged a slight pink – had silently crept above the horizon. Its scattered light through the atmosphere at such a low angle made it look gigantic… and caused me to gasp. It was so astonishing, my first inclination was to call someone – anyone – on the phone and say, “Quick, look out the window! You have to see the moon!”
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Three of my friends became grandparents this month – two for the first time, one for the second. With each birth, our social media network caught fire almost immediately with the good news of healthy babies and happy new parents. And the pictures – lovely, poignant images of precious new lives and smiling, exhausted young mothers – made me tear up every time. Within the circle of friends and families, the news went “viral” and we were all charmed.
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My sister and brother-in-law went whale-watching in the Pacific Northwest this week. To their delight, two magnificent orcas breached right next to their boat and then swam under the bow and out the other side. A fellow tourist caught it all on her smartphone and air-dropped it to my brother-in-law, who emailed it to me that night. It was – in a word – spectacular. In the background of the short video, I could hear the people chattering excitedly and squealing with joy. How could they not?
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In every scenario above (and others that may have come to your mind as you were reading this), the joy and excitement of something unusual, miraculous, or simply stunning prompted a desire: I have to share this.
There’s just something about drawing another in to the extraordinary that magnifies and validates our own experience. We grab our phones or cameras, we call out to whoever is close by (even strangers), we post it on Instagram or Facebook or Snapchat it to our friends.
The irresistible desire to share wonder seems to me a common thread of the human experience, rooted in the nature of our generous God. I was thinking about that just this morning as I was walking my dog. It doesn’t even have to be something huge or life-altering; sometimes even the ordinary moments can be surprisingly inspiring.
As I ambled along my unremarkable suburban sidewalk, I marveled at the peacefulness of my fog-shrouded neighborhood at that early hour, and I realized: this was one of those moments. Of course, it was just Smudge and me, and she was completely oblivious to what I was feeling, so I smiled silently to myself.
But I was hardly alone.
As I breathed it all in, I was aware of God’s presence. I felt such gratitude to Him for this quiet settledness, this simple soundtrack of dripping trees and softly whistling birds, this gift of a brand new day.
Genesis 1 says when God had finished each part of His beautiful creation, He stepped back and “saw that it was good.” And then He created human beings in His own image so He could share it, in all its goodness, with us.
We want others to be thrilled by what thrills us, to be moved by what moves us.
We want to share transcendence because we were created by a God who daily shares His transcendence with us.
Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below!
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this one made me cry… but not bad tears… just human ones!
I know the feeling. I experience those human tears a lot. And you’re right, tears aren’t always bad. Thanks for your comment, as always!
Sharing really is at the heart of humans transcending their singularity. It is such a gift to be humans together! Sometimes, maybe oftentimes, technology facilitates that, and for that I am thankful!
Allen, you are such a contemplative. Your observations always make me think and add so much to my posts. Thank you for commenting.