“To be spiritual is to be amazed” – Abraham Joshua Heschel

Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement. ….get up in the morning and look at the world in a way that takes nothing for granted. Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible; never treat life casually. To be spiritual is to be amazed.― Abraham Joshua Heschel

I agree that to be spiritual is to be amazed. There is an inner child in us that is amazed by the wonders of creation. It reminds me of Jesus saying to the religious folks at the marketplace “we play the flute and you did not dance”. The Pharisees had become preoccupied with rule keeping and forgot to enjoy life like little children. I am learning to rediscover a sense of wonder myself.

Video commentary:

On the occasion of the release of Love Wins in paperback and new covers on all his books (Velvet Elvis, Jesus Wants to Save Christians, Sex God, and Drops Like Stars), we invite you to “Explore the Spirituality of Wonder” with New York Times bestselling author Rob Bell. Bell is known for bringing out into the open and exploring the deeper questions of Christian life and faith—how we relate to God, how to love others, how to channel difficulty into creativity, how to understand eternity, and how to live as Jesus taught. He invites us to examine closely the beliefs we claim to hold most dear but often do not take the time to reflect upon. Time calls Bell the most exciting voice in the church today.

It is good to see Rob Bell back to share his latest message on rediscovering wonder. I agree that we can rediscover wonder like a little child. Come to think of it, following Jesus may well be referring to following our inner Child. We can taste the kingdom of heaven within us when we become like little children again as we live in the moment and embrace new discovery of nature with wide-eyed wonder. I think it transcends the religious mindset that is encrusted with dogma and bound by doctrines, rules and regulations. Childlike spirituality is meant to be free, simple, carefree, and characterised by love, peace, joy – the fruit of the Spirit. For me, I would say any belief that does not cause harm to oneself or others and instead produces the fruit of love, peace and unity is of the truth because the truth always sets us free.