Wednesday Wonder

Zacchaeus climbed a sycamore tree.

Now I am looking for metaphorical sycamore trees. Zacchaeus climbed the tree because he was short and wanted to get a better view of the man named Jesus that he had been hearing about. What his climb provided was a whole new outlook on life.

Sometimes we need a new outlook on life. Or maybe just the day. Last week I wrote about having a bad day. Maybe if we climb a sycamore tree we can turn a day like that around.

I enjoy looking at photos of things. Anything really. But I want the photo to be taken in such a way that I am not sure of what the thing is. Yes, when I go on vacation I take the usual photos, but sometimes I want a picture that makes me wonder what I am looking at. When I find out what the close up is with a wider angle it often makes me smile. Who knew that if you looked that closely at something it would seem completely different. New perspective.

When we watch and interact with children this new perspective happens a lot, especially if the child is seeing something for the first time. The wonder of the vision of the first Christmas tree, the first raindrop, the first snowflake. The surprise when they look out the window and see a bird for the first time. These are things we enjoy seeing happen.

I have what I like to call ‘Granny’s Bag of Fun’ that goes with me each time I visit Damon. It contains toys and books, sometimes snacks, that he does not have at his home. They come with Granny and they leave with her. But while he is spending time with Granny, anything in that bag is fair game. The look of wonder each time Damon looks in the bag makes me melt. Even when the same toy comes multiple times his eyes light up when he sees it. These days he loves a wooden train set someone gave me because their grandchildren had outgrown it. I bring it every time, but every time, Damon’s reaction would make you think he had never seen it before. When was the last time I looked at something like that?

Damon makes every foray into Granny’s Bag of Fun an adventure. The moment it is placed on the floor he is peeking inside. He knows he can touch, hold and play with anything in there. With all the toys he has around him, these few ‘new’ things become an adventure.

Where do we find the adventure in life? When was the last time you peeked into something and discovered the ‘new’ things for yourself?

Often when we have a few decades under our belts we start to get a little bored with life. Or maybe we just get comfortable with what has become the usual. Each day unfolds in a similar way. Each day, week, month, year has its rhythm and we simply go along. We are not looking for the new adventure.

Sometimes the new adventure finds us. And the adventure isn’t always one we want to take. Perhaps the hard times are not something we would term an adventure, but everything is a learning experience so maybe that is exactly what they are. The good times aren’t necessarily described as an adventure either, but again, we learn something and it is.

For growing children, every day is an adventure as they explore the world and all it has to offer. Maybe we need to regain that sense of adventure in our more advanced years. Maybe we need to find a sycamore tree. Zacchaeus actually got more than he bargained for when he went up that tree. He just wanted to be able to see through the crowd. But the perspective from up there changed his life.

As someone who is also vertically challenged, I understand what Zacchaeus was hoping for that day. He just wanted a clear view instead of the back of everyone and maybe a small, partial glimpse of this famous person. What he got was a whole new perspective on life.

An encounter with Jesus can do that for us. Remember, the light of Christ is in everyone you meet. Any encounter could be life changing. It is all about perspective. Allow yourself to look down from the tree and see something new. Then jump down and follow wherever it might lead. You could even end up entertaining Jesus for dinner.