Rediscovering Wonder
Recently, four astronauts aboard Artemis II returned from a mission that carried them hundreds of thousands of miles away from Earth.
When they came home, people naturally wanted to know what they had learned. What surprised me most was not their answers, but their struggle to find the words.
Again and again, they spoke of the overwhelming beauty of what they had seen. From that distance, there were no visible borders, no political divisions, no endless noise competing for attention. There was simply a brilliant blue planet suspended in the darkness of space.
One astronaut even admitted that it was difficult to look at Earth from that perspective and not sense that something greater was behind it all.
As I listened, I couldn’t help but think that perhaps they hadn’t discovered something new; they had simply rediscovered wonder.
The Earth they stared at in awe was the same Earth we wake up on every morning. The same sun rises each day, the same flowers bloom, the same stars fill the night sky, and the same Creator continues to hold it all together. Yet somewhere between busy schedules, endless notifications, responsibilities, and distractions, it becomes easy to stop noticing.
The Greatest Challenge
And maybe that is one of the greatest challenges facing our daughters today. The world constantly trains them to focus on what is missing.
The outfit they don’t have.
The invitation they didn’t receive.
The achievement they haven’t reached.
The life someone else appears to be living.
Comparison teaches girls to look for lack. Wonder teaches them to look for beauty.
As mothers, one of the greatest gifts we can give our daughters is helping them learn to notice the miracles hidden in ordinary days.
The warmth of the sun on their face.
The sound of laughter around the dinner table.
A hummingbird at the feeder.
A friend who cares.
A prayer that was quietly answered.
The fact that every breath they take is a gift from God.
These things may seem small, but they are not insignificant. They are reminders that God is present and His creation is filled with beauty. Our lives are surrounded by evidence of His goodness every single day.
The astronauts traveled hundreds of thousands of miles to gain a new perspective on Earth. God has placed reminders of His goodness all around us so we wouldn’t have to.
Maybe wonder is not something we find; it is something we notice. And when we begin noticing, we realize that our ordinary lives are filled with extraordinary gifts.
Reflection for This Week
Take a few moments with your daughter this week and ask: “What is something beautiful, surprising, or good that you noticed today?”
Not something expensive. Not something impressive. Just something that made you stop and smile.
You may be surprised how quickly wonder grows when we begin paying attention to it.
