Primal Wonder

Weekly, I'm faced with the challenge to preach Christ in a way that people understand and are inspired.  Thankfully, God equips those that he calls and in the case of preaching, God tends to take over when we let him.  Good thing, since "the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" (1 Corinthians 1:18).

This week is a unique challenge.  As we get further into our series on Primal, we're seeking to understand what it means to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.  This coming Sunday's message is about the soul. 

Maybe you're smarter than me.  Maybe you've read something I haven't.  But can anybody tell me the best way to describe and access one's soul?  We pray for souls and we teach that God desires to save our souls.  Sometimes, in southern dialect, we'll say something like, "Bless your soul," but that's not usually a compliment and another discussion altogether.

Mark Batterson, author of Primal, has come up with an excellent way to describe what it means to love God with all your soul: primal wonder.  This wonder is the ability to see the world and the people in it through a different lens and allow ourselves to be awestruck by God's craftsmanship.

This adds to the challenge.  As I prepare to preach, what will I say to the people gathered?  For those who have experienced this "primal wonder," I imagine that their heads will nod and they will understand completely.  For those who haven't, I imagine blank stares and hopefully a spark of curiosity.  The beauty and the wonder is there, but not all have seen it. 

The task feels like trying to describe a Picasso to a blind man or the Sahara to an Eskimo.  The wonder of creation and the wonder of God isn't something to behold, but something that takes hold of us.  Once you've seen the world in these shades, it changes you and leaves an indelible impression on your soul.

Unfortunately though, many of us will live our whole lives without being blessed with this wonder.  We will study scripture, strive to understand God, and maybe even love God by serving others, but some of us will fall short of loving God with all our souls.

Leonardo daVinci once said, "The average person looks without seeing, listens without hearing, touches without feeling, eats without tasting, [inhales without smelling], talks without thinking." 

How do you see creation?  How does creation see you?  Do you love God with all your soul?