The Most Overlooked Wonder


“Men go abroad to wonder at the heights of the mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motions of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering." — Saint Augustine

We’ll stare at the Grand Canyon for hours. We’ll hike up mountains, drive to the ocean, lie under the stars and feel something stir in our souls. And yet, we rarely turn that same sense of awe inward.

That’s what Augustine was getting at.

We’re wired to marvel at creation, but not the creator within. Not the mind. Not the soul. Not the one doing the wondering.

We don’t stand in front of a mirror and think, How incredible that I’m alive… that I can think, choose, love, create, and change. We rush right past ourselves to catch a sunset.

Here’s the irony: all that outer beauty only matters because there’s someone here to witness it. You.

You are the one who feels the wind on your face and translates it into meaning. You are the one who hears the waves and hears a memory. You are the one who sees the stars and wonders where it all came from.

And yet, you’re probably harder on yourself than you’d be on any mountain range. When’s the last time you stood still and truly appreciated your own inner landscape?

That doesn't mean becoming self-obsessed. It means not being a stranger to yourself. It means carving out time to think. To breathe. To pray. To ask yourself real questions.

What am I about?
What really matters to me?
What kind of person am I becoming?

We do maintenance on our cars and homes. We plan vacations to experience wonder. But what about the engine inside? What about the traveler?

I’m not saying you need to spend hours meditating on a mountaintop (unless that’s your thing). I’m saying maybe we’d live a little better if we carried some of that awe back with us—not just for the mountains, but for the man climbing them.

Take five minutes today. No noise. No scrolling. Just you. Ask yourself one good question and actually listen for the answer. You might be surprised at what’s still in there.

Because the most overlooked wonder might be the one looking out through your eyes.

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