Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to little children.”

Matthew 11:25

​The words awe, and wonder are magical words. When I reflect on them, my mind immediately goes to young children. They must be the richest of all in the sense of wonder they bring to everything they see – richer than most of us grown-ups. In the Scripture above, Jesus himself says how there are things much easier seen by children than by wise and learned adults. I believe it’s because young children – in their innocence – see and love with their hearts, while we adults tend to analyze things with our minds.

​Children are eager and wholehearted. And – as I explored the bouquets of flowers for a book I was putting together – I did feel somewhat like such a child. I was eager and couldn’t stop until I had captured all the images I thought possible with my camera.

​When I take the focus off the inner me and look at awesome and wonderful things around me, I get excited. Instead of having my thoughts turned inward, I look at what’s happening around me – within our home and its delightful cats, out on the balcony watching the constantly changing sky, …and, of course, enjoying the flowers we bring home from the supermarket. My camera is always ready to go.

​I love to examine flowers up close, photographing them with my macro lens. Bouquets have become my favourites rather than potted plants. Bouquets offer a variety of flowers with many different colours. It’s exciting to explore the mass of blooms, not simply focusing on a single flower at a time but finding combinations I had never considered before.

​​Have you ever studied the many little details of a rose with a magnifier? Have you experienced the fascination of seeing what God has made as close up as you can get? With your magnifier or close up lens, try travelling around the flower as though it were completely new to you. “What awesome beauty God has created!” You might very well rekindle the spirit you thought you had left behind – that exquisite sense of wonder.

​And you can’t resist expressing the joy.

“Thank you, God!”

marja