Last week was Week of Worship here at Prescott Primary Northern. Each day, we had a special program put together by our chaplains and our guest speaker, Pr Will Moala. We had some games, some songs, prayer time and our special message about keeping our lives charged by God’s love.

One of my favourite things to do during this week is to watch the faces and body language of our children. They have an honesty and openness that I find inspiring. The way they take in new experiences, or show how amazed they are when things are shared with them intrigues me. Much of my time as a teacher has been spent in the area of religious education and so I am particularly drawn in when the amazement of students is around spiritual things. That openness and transparency I was referring to a few sentences ago is often seen as the hearts and imaginations of children capture the idea of spiritual connections and the indescribable ideas of an all-powerful, loving gracious God.

I was reading a book recently which was exploring the concepts of awe and wonder, and these readings came to mind as I watched our children. Awe can be explained as a feeling we get where we just want to stand back, observe, and take it all in. Wonder seems to have a more active element to it that makes us want to learn more and explore what we are seeing. (Brown, 2021) I know I made all sorts of efforts with my own children to share the experiences of nature, and also things that showed humanity’s amazing ability to create and innovate. I think providing experiences of wonder and awe in those arenas are something we often do quite well. My challenge to us all is to take it one step further and move into the spiritual realm - the connections we have with ourselves, each other, and with God. Interestingly, it is my observation that the step into the spiritual realm is not that big and happens very naturally for us as human beings.

If we are going to develop our children holistically, their spiritual journey is a vital component, and one that is often overlooked under the pressures of social, intellectual and physical development. I think opportunities of awe and wonder allow for spiritual development that our children need. Author Rachel Carson says it well “A child’s world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement. It is our misfortune that for most of us that clear-eyed vision, that true instinct for what is beautiful and awe-inspiring, is dimmed and even lost before we reach adulthood. . . , I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life, as an unfailing antidote against the boredom and disenchantment of later years … the alienation from the sources of our strength.” (Carson, 1955)

Stopping and pondering God’s wonders is actually a command in a story in the Bible about a man who was trying to understand life. It reads like this, "Job, are you listening? Have you noticed all this? Stop in your tracks! Take in God's miracle-wonders!” Job 37:14 (MSG) It made sense back then and it makes sense now, both for our children and us as adults.

Have a great week of awe and wonder with your kids,

Mark B