The Power of Wonder Part 3
April 23, 2026
The Power of Wonder Part 3
What if one glance through the smallest window could become your portal into the largest truths?
For Christmas, we received a bird feeder. It was not an ordinary one, but a feeder with a camera that brings each bird visitor up close and personal. With a glance at our phone, the lives of birds in our yard no longer just fly by us but are intimate experiences. What once fluttered at a distance now unfolds before us in vivid detail.
When we were younger, we noted that many people, mostly older ones, seemed very excited about seeing the birds. Whether through binoculars or plain sight, they observed birds and proudly spoke of their recent sightings. It seemed somewhat dull to us then, hardly worth noticing. But time has a way of refining our sight. What once appeared mundane now reveals itself as quite wondrous.
A bluebird arrives. A cardinal follows. Their feathers, once just flashes of color from afar, now blaze with richness and depth. We linger with them longer than ever before, studying their patterns, their movements, their presence. And in that lingering, something arises within us.
We begin to notice more than beauty—we notice behavior. One bird shares the feeder; another fiercely guards it. Some welcome company; others drive it away. A larger bird makes space for a smaller one, and something in us softens. A flock gathers in harmony and we are delighted. And the colors… wow… they are so much more vivid when they are so close.
Then tension enters. The neighbor’s cat prowls nearby. The birds sense it. Some birds flee immediately, while others linger, driven by hunger or defiance. Each moment becomes a story: arrival, conflict, choice, departure: a beginning, a middle, an end.
We watch their small rituals, like the pecking, the pausing, the cautious glance upward before returning to eat. On nearby branches, others wait their turn, like planes on a runway. The feeder becomes a stage, and life unfolds in miniature dramas. Nothing about it feels small or dull.
Why is this so wondrous?
Because it is alive.
Because it is beautiful.
Because it is true.
Because it is fascinating.
Because it is wondrous!
In the motion of wings, we recognize our own life force. In the brilliance of color, we glimpse the depth and diversity of existence. And in their stories, we see our own reflected to us, woven with the same struggles, joys, and emotions.
There is harmony and conflict. Abundance and scarcity. Fear and courage. Greed and generosity. Isolation and kinship.
It is all there, playing out again and again…. birds on a simple feeder. Their story is not separate from ours. It mirrors us, teaches us, and invites us to see more clearly. We find ourselves and our own story. We see that we are all in the same divine story. How each of us takes part in it is fascinating, and sometimes riveting. This is the heart of wonder.
Spiritual practice and self-inquiry: How are the themes of your life also reflected in nature? Return to this question after each answer you give. Sit with it. Journal what you discover.
Prayer:
Dear God, For the quiet teachings of your natural world, I am so grateful. Amen
