Awestruck

Awestruck means to be very impressed and amazed by something.  What does it mean to be in awe?  Awe means a reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder.  I'm not even sure these definitions bring real justice to the meaning of the words.

The recent solar eclipse has left me with much to think about as many converse about the beauty, the uniqueness, and the phenomenons of nature.  Of the many podcasts I listen to, they all had much to say about the eclipse.  I was also a witness to it, but not in its totality.  I was a witness to 50% totality.  Anyway, there were many different thoughts on it.  Some said they were in awe and that it was the most miraculous and beautiful thing they had ever seen!  Being in darkness, seeing stars, and hearing the changes in nature in the middle of the day was a unique experience like none other they ever had before.  My son thought it was the most amazing thing he'd ever seen!  Others said it was cool, but it really didn't matter to them.  Some had no idea what this was or why it was taking place.  One voice in particular expressed his disinterest in most things of nature, but was more filled with wonder by what humans created in their time here on the planet.  He was often awestruck by art, literature, music, architecture, and the creations of humans. 

I must say, that I do understand both ends of this spectrum.  I have spent much of my life learning aboutnature, biology, animals, and humans.  I'm not that old, so I realize, I'm not an expert in any of these things, but I do love learning all I can about them.  I've spent a lot of time out in nature enjoying it.  I've also spent much time enjoying and admiring art, music, dance, and the many talents of others who can do things I cannot.  When I was younger, I did not have much appreciation for literature, or reading in general.  When people even said the words "classic books", I would think, "BLAH" in my own mind.  Now that I'm older and have read many of them and studied them, I don't know how anyone lives without them.  They are brilliant and were created by minds greater than mine.  They have helped me form my own opinions, perspectives and have taught me to think for myself.  Reading and listening to books is one of my favorite things to do!  I am often awestruck by the powerful stories and expressions in so many books.  I am indeed a WORD NERD!  I love both the written and the spoken word!

Have you ever felt small in comparison to everything around you?  Have you ever been reverenced by the majesty of mountains, the miracle of birth, the intricate function of your body, the booming of thunder, or the vast unknowns of the far away space, or the endless depths of the sea?  These are only a few things that have left me at a loss for words.  I'm always amazed by how single notes and sounds can come together to make beautiful melodies.  It's hard to ever think that those songs may have gone unsung if it weren't for those, that in some miraculous way, heard it before it was ever written. Then they wrote it for the world, then it stood the test of time, it survived generations! I'm reverenced by how one Van Gogh painting can make me think of a whole world of things I've never thought of before.  I'm in awe when I see beautiful dance performances that leave me without words and only tears.  I'm humbled when I hear harmonies in a choir that could only be described as heavenly.  All of these leave me with a sense of the existence of a heaven.  

Many times nature has left me speechless!  The tiny intricacies of flowers, the tiny mechanics of even the smallest of God's creations.  I'm not really much of a bug person, but even a spider web, butterfly wings, grace of a mantis, the power of the worker bee, and especially the detailed communications that go on between these creatures is awe inspiring.  I'm wonder struck by the humanity that is found among the animal kingdom.  The way many animals, teach, mourn loss, love, remember, communicate, mother, and even play in a very human-like manner.  This always reminds me that human DNA is not that different from some of these creatures.  It's a reminder that we are not all that different and we can relate; maybe it's important that these animals remind us of our own humanity.  

I'm filled with astonishment by the amazing masterpiece that the human body is and what it can do!  I'm amazed at the ability of the body to heal itself.  I'm simply awestruck at how foods, nutrients, herbs, and plants are bursting with healing properties!  My own personal experiences with this provide evidence to me of a loving God who provided everything we need.  I'm also flabbergasted at how the corruption of these things can deteriorate the body, that we could eat all day long and yet be starving!  I'm stupefied by how much abuse the body can take and that it can still be healed at the end of it all.  I'm also perplexed by just how fragile life can be.  One day we can be here living life to the fullest and then in a second we can be taken from this life.  The body is so strong, yet can be so weak.  I'm sometimes bewildered at the things that can take a life.  One split second decision, one senseless decision driven by hate, one decision made by an underdeveloped mind that is driven by hedonism, or one tiny cell with cancer or bacteria that proliferates into an all out war on the body.

Among the books and podcasts I listen to, one is Dr. Phil's true crime podcast.  This might sound strange, but I've also been very intrigued and fascinated by the human mind and even the criminal one.  I've always had a love for mystery ever since I read my first Nancy Drew book as a kid.  I love the feeling of being on edge while trying to solve the crime or the mystery.  It's no mystery why I studied Criminal justice in college alongside biology and chemistry for a forensics emphasis.  I'm dumbfounded at what evils the human mind can think and even act upon.  I'm not a stranger to hearing the horrifying details of crimes, war, genocide and even eugenics.  I like to figure out the whys, hows, and whats of the criminal mind.  I like to understand.  The mind is very powerful for better or worse things.   

In learning more about crime, I've also been astounded at the justice system in my country.  I'm astonished by the minds that brought forth our Constitution and form of government.  On the other hand I'm amazed at the corruption that has taken place over time that has diluted liberty.  How this dilution of liberty has happened is also an amazing feat.  It confounds me how the justice system works so well, yet it doesn't much of the time.  I suppose it's a double edged sword.  It's amazing how the mind can be so manipulated.  The mind may be powerful, but it is also malleable.  All of this illustrates how powerful healing of the mind can be.  So, it's powerful, corruptible, malleable, but can always be reopened, reshaped, healed.   

By now you're probably thinking, "Wow, there are a lot of words that can be used for amazing, or awestruck!"  Yes, you can thank me for not repeating those words a million times in this post!  I did warn you I was a word nerd!  I hope this synonymous synchronicity has not taken away from the true message I'm trying to get across.

For me, all of these things only strengthen my belief in a loving God!  In my experiences and learning, these things have only pointed more clearly to a Divine creator, a loving Heavenly Father and an Atoning Savior.  All provide evidence of this. How could there not be a heaven?  How could there not be a loving God?  How could we not be His masterpiece?  How could we not be His children?  He sent His Son to die for us........we must be loved and important.  Christ was willing to die for us.  In my book that means something, something pretty amazing.  The word cannot do the meaning of this justice.