Growing Young

Here'a great thought from Brennan Manning that I saw over at Strawberry-Rhubarb Theology the other day:

A Philistine will stand before a Claude Monet painting and pick his nose; a person filled with wonder will stand there fighting back the tears. By and large, our world has lost its sense of wonder. We have grown up.

--Brennan Manning 

  I'm pretty middle-aged now and I have sensed parts of my heart getting a little - I don't want to use the word "hardened" -  let's say, road-weary.  Calloused seems harsh.  Maybe crotchety would work.  At any rate, I don't like it.  I never want to lose the wonder I once had as a child where every day was an adventure, every stream was a river, every hill was a mountain, every stick was a sword, and God was a super, shining, invincible hero bristling with cosmic power.  I want the wonder of my childhood to mingle with the knowledge that years of experience and study have bought me, and I want it to keep me from becoming brittle and ... boring ... in my faith.

Let's finish this off with one of my favorite songs from Rich Mullins, Growing Young: