"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.”
-Albert Einstein
Several years ago I was asked to be the guest on a cable television show with a viewership of several million. Really. The Journey Home is a show on EWTN, a cable television network beamed around the world. So, after picking myself off the ground I agreed to fly to Alabama and talk about my faith journey.
In the weeks leading up to my t.v. debut, I found myself imagining this to be my big break. People would like me, want to buy my books, and invite me to come and speak at their churches, schools, and retreat centers. This was going to be very good for business.
I flew to Alabama, taped the show, felt great about the hour long interview, believed I was engaging and charismatic enough, and came home ready for my career to surge to new heights.
And I waited, and waited, and waited.
True, I sold a few books, got some phone calls from folks who saw the show, and received a complimentary letter from the host and producer of the program thanking me for my effort. But my television experience was hardly a professional game-changer.
I admit, I was disappointed. I thought I knew why I was asked to go, and what would happen because of my going. I assumed, and got locked in to my assumptions. And I almost missed the real grace of the trip.
Assumptions can be very dangerous.
Three weeks after my return, I opened an email from a man I’d met in the studio, right after the taping. He had been part of the audience watching the show that night, and we’d spoken. He and I both had sons with Down syndrome. My son survived two heart surgeries, his son did not. I don’t recall saying anything more than what one father would naturally say to another about losing a child. But in the brief exchange and embrace, he was unlocked. And he wrote a simple, heartfelt message thanking me for that moment.
Surprise.
Life is so much deeper and broader than any of us can ever totally imagine; full of these kind of moments that can open us up…to meaning, and beauty, and revelation. But they are easily missed if we are not able to feel awe…and practice awe.
Awe is a recognition of, wonder about, and appreciation for mystery. And in that sense of awe, one is stirred to see and act differently.
Awe helps us explore mystery, not as a problem that needs to be solved, but a blessing that needs to be embraced. It confirms that truth and knowledge are found in “Wow” as well as “Why”, and helps us avoid letting assumptions about how things should be block the miracle of how things are…
And that is awe-some.
Question for reflection: What inspires awe in you?
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About Me
- Ross Porter
- Dr. Ross Porter received his B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and his Master of Divinity (Theology) and Ph.D. (Clinical Psychology) degrees from Fuller Theological Seminary, where he first became interested in the integration of psychology and spirituality. He is a teacher, author, counselor, and consultant, specializing in integrative psychology, virtue ethics and family systems. He has taught at the high school, college, and graduate school levels. Ross is also the Founder and Executive Director of Stillpoint Family Resources, a non-profit organization that offers counseling services to individuals, couples, and families in crisis, with nine different office locations throughout Ventura, Los Angeles and Orange Counties (specific office locations can be found at www.stillpointfamilyresources.org). In 2009, Dr. Porter was named an “Outstanding Angeleno” by the Los Angeles Daily News. Ross and his wife Jennifer have been married for 21 years, and have four beautiful children. John Michael, their son who has Down Syndrome is their first born.
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