Have you ever been in awe?
Have you seen something, experienced something, felt something so deeply that it caused you to be in awe?
I can remember when I was young and living in the Southwest. One time, we went on a family vacation. I was only about 8 years old. I had fallen asleep in the car. And when we arrived at our destination, my parents picked me up and carried me, because I was still sleeping. When they woke me up, I jumped and almost fell to the ground . We were on the rim of the Grand Canyon, and while there was a fence between us and a massive drop off and hole in the ground… I was simultaneously in awe of the overwhelming beauty I was seeing, but also in awe because of the fear of falling into the great chasm I woke up to.
You know it’s funny how we can all define awe differently,like…
My six year old son Josiah calls me into the living room with great excitement… “Dad, dad, come on you have to see this…” I come running, because he is certain that he is about to show me something that is going to cause me to be in awe. And I get in the living room, and Josiah says, “Watch this dad!” And he gets on the side arm of the couch and jumps. He looks up at me and says, “Wasn’t that awesome dad.” And of course I say, “Son that was awesome.” Am I truly in awe…? No, but my love for my son shows awe, I react in a way that will encourage him, lift him up…. And not crush him. But I am not in awe. What would put me in awe of Josiah, would be if he really cleaned his room, on his own, with no help…. That would put me in awe!
Awe is one of those words that possesses several meanings that can almost seem to be at odds with one another. For instance…
Awe means: amazing, astonishing, breathtaking…. But it also can mean: awful, dreadful, frightening
Events that truly cause us to be in awe, become reference point in our lives. Reference points become places we can look at and determine how far we have moved forward or how far we have fallen behind. In other words, events or places or people in our lives that cause awe become points by which we measure everything else that happens in our lives.
Our life is full of Reference points:
Your Birthday is a reference point in time. The birth of each of your children becomes a reference point. Joyful events and seasons can cause our hearts to be moved with awe in such a way that a reference point is created in our hearts and minds. A memory that we refer back to as a point of reference of where we are at in our lives.
Awe inspiring events can also be created by great tragedies. Loss of a job, loss of a loved one, even loss of a pet. I had a dog named Sandy that died when I was about eight years old. Stung to death by bees. That memory created awe in my heart because it was a awful and dreadful moment. 911 will always be a historical reference point. We as a country were in awe of the level of hatred and pain that was poured out on that day. It was a dramatic event that is etched into the fabric of our history.
Right now, we are coming into a season in which we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Now that is a reference point. As is His death, burial and resurrection. Those were awesome, and awe filled events for those who were there, and now for all who are touched by the reality of who Jesus is, was and always will be.
The question we have to ask though is…does the birth of Christ, the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus still cause our hearts to be filled with awe?
Every person has to ask, is Jesus just a historical reference point, or is He The Lord and Savior that still brings awe to our hearts, thus creating a reference point in our lives of who we are because of meeting Jesus, Knowing Jesus and surrendering our lives to Jesus.
As we celebrate, let’s not allow the business and demands of the season to rob us of the awe of a God who loves us enough to give His life for us.
Merry Christmas
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