In our blog post on wisdom, emotional intelligence and an appropriate godly fear one of the definitions we used for an appropriate godly fear was the phrase “wonder-filled bold humility”.

Fear in today’s time and culture is a strange word to use as it can conjure up images of being bullied or terrorised. That is a million miles from what we are trying to convey by the phrase ‘appropriate godly fear’. However, explaining appropriate godly fear as wonder-filled bold humility carries with it an enormous richness and depth about what we have been given in this life. In many ways it is the only logical response as we try to make sense of the wonder and enormity of the life we have been given and the universe that we belong to.

The short 6 minute video below beautifully illustrates this.

I encourage you to stop for the next few minutes and drink in the message being presented:

The point being made is the amazing gift of life that we enjoy each day. It often takes a tragedy or misfortune to make us realise this. How much better to see that now or sooner rather than later!

The narrator in the video powerfully states:

“You think this is just another day in your life. Its  not just another day – its the one day that has been given to you today. Its a gift. Its the only gift that you have right now and the only appropriate response is gratefulness. If you do nothing else, but cultivate that great response to the unique gift this day is; if you learn to respond as if it were the first day in your life and the very last day, then you will have spent this day well.”

He then proceeds to challenge us about the many things we take for granted  – the gift of sight; the vastness of the sky; the richness of human relationship and the ready availability of resources like electricity and drinkable water.

There are so many amazing facts about our existence:

Sir James Jeans, a famous British astronomer, once said: “The universe appears to have been designed by a pure Mathematician.” For him, as for many, the order of the earth and the solar system points to a master planner. So take, for example, the fact that the earth is tilted at an angle of exactly 23 degrees. Scientists tell us that if the angle were even slightly different, the earth would gradually be encased by an ice cap. It has to be exactly 23 degrees to work.

Furthermore, in his book, ‘The Reason for God,’ Tim Keller quotes the scientist Francis Collins:

“When you look from the perspective of a scientist at the universe, it looks as if it knew we were coming. There are 15 constants – the gravitational constants, various constants about the strong and weak nuclear forces, etc – that have precise values. If any one of these constants was off by even one part in a million, or in some cases, one part in a million million, the universe could not have actually come to the point where we see it. Matter would not have been able to coalesce, there would have been no galaxy, stars, planets or people.”

 

How does the video above and these comments resonate with you?

How can we keep an attitude of wonder-filled bold humility in the busyness and stress of day to day life?

It would be great to have your thoughts below: