Mark Katrick faith column: Seven Wonders of the World aren't God's only gifts that inspire
Name the Seven Wonders of the World. Do you remember being unpleasantly surprised by this question on your history exam? I was tempted to fill in the blank by writing, “ONLY SEVEN?” in all capital letters.
Back in those days, you were more than likely being asked about the Ancient Wonders of the World: The Colossus of Rhodes, Great Pyramid of Giza, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, Mausoleum of Halicarnassus and Lighthouse of Alexandria. For the number of times my Word program spell-checked this list, it’s a wonder I ever got them all right.
Nowadays, you might be asked to name the New Seven Wonders of the World, including the Great Wall of China, Colosseum, Taj Mahal and Christ the Redeemer. Perhaps a better way to describe these are “less ancient.”
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Then there are the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, one of which you may have seen (the Grand Canyon) and one you probably haven’t (the summit of Mount Everest). I want to watch the National Geographic special if you have!
Even on these bitterly cold February nights, I’ve never seen the aurora borealis outside my front porch door, or even on my trips to Vermont. But on any given night, I can see a full moon, a thousand million stars or Venus and Jupiter competing for my attention. I can’t get in my car and drive to Victoria Falls. But on any given day, I can make a trip to Elyria and spend time with my high school buddies at Cascade Park. (Yes, there are waterfalls in Lorain County!)
And though they may not tower over me like the statue of Christ in Rio De Janeiro, there are icons or symbols in the places where I worship that take my breath away. I still carry around the tiniest of medallions with a dove, selected on my first night of classes in Spiritual Direction at Wellstreams.
One of the greatest gifts God has given us is our sense of awe and wonder.
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To grow and nurture this gift, I would highly recommend you contemplate and journal the wonders in your world. It will raise your awareness of the beauty of this earth, and how very good the Divine One who created it all, is to you and me.
Then write down and reflect on these words to Psalm 19:1-4:
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.”
Mark Katrick is a pastor and spiritual guide.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Mark Katrick faith column: Seven Wonders of the World among God's gifts
