When I was young and I first heard or read about the seven wonders of the world, including the Grand Canyon, I knew I had to see it one day. When we were a young family, it wasn’t very far from where we lived at the time. So one summer we decided that we were going to take the children for a summer vacation. Whether seeing it the first time, or many times, it still leaves me awestruck and wondering; ‘how it could be’? The only other wonder my wife and I have experienced is the Empire State building in New York city and knowing that it is now dwarfed by many taller buildings around the world, it may have been taken off the list of the seven wonders. However, when one contemplates the time, engineering, tools and equipment available at the time the Empire State Building was built, you have to credit the builders with a ‘wonder.’
I recently read a story about a teacher who asked her students to list what they thought were the present “Seven Wonders of the World.” Though there were some disagreements, the following received the most votes: 1. Egypt’s Great Pyramids, 2. Taj Mahal, 3. Grand Canyon, 4. Panama Canal, 5. Empire State Building, 6. St. Peter’s Basilica, 7. China’s Great Wall. While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student had not finished writing her list. So she asked her if she was having trouble with her list. The girl replied, “Yes, a little. I couldn’t quite make up my mind because there were so many.” The teacher said, “Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help.” The girl hesitated, then read, “I think the ‘Seven Wonders of the World’ are: 1. to see, 2. to hear, 3. to touch, 4. to taste, 5. to feel, 6. to laugh, 7. and to love.” The room was so quiet they could have heard a pin drop. The things we overlook as simple and ordinary and that we often take for granted are truly wondrous and even ‘Wonders of the World’.
After reading the story and thinking about the young student’s response I felt a tear on my cheek as I was so touched by her sensitivity to God’s wondrous blessings to us, His children. Then I began to think about why the ‘Wonders of the World’ have been limited to only seven? Are there not hundreds and even thousands of things in the world that make us wonder and are indeed wondrous?
Many of the wonders that we might come up with are usually classified as gifts rather than wonders but because these gifts are wonderful maybe we should give them that connotation. A person could elaborate on each of the wonders she mentioned but that would make a book. I will expand on just a few for this thought. The young student mentioned ‘to hear’ but more importantly is the gift of listening. Yes! To hear is wonderful and most everyone can hear. But not everyone really knows how to listen. To really listen is a gift, even an art and we are not all artistic listeners.
Another wonder she mentioned is the gift of ‘affection.’ How important to a family unit is the affection shown between a husband and wife, and parents to their children. Families are held together by the affection shown to one another. Oh, how that is missed when members are separated for periods of time. The hugs, kisses and pats on the back, these small actions that demonstrate the love we have for one another. Another wonderful wonder of the world is the gift of laughter, laughter is contagious and it has a tendency to bring people together, to ease tension and most importantly it is commonly known as ’the best medicine.’ The wondrous results of a ‘compliment,’ such as a simple “You did a great job!” or “That was a wonderful meal!” It is a wonder what a simple compliment can do for a person’s day. Another of the many wonders is our uniqueness. Not one of us are exactly the same. Almost every day we can discover how we are different from another, even if we are cut from the same cloth (born in the same family), we are still different. The great scholar, John H. Rhoades, stated that we should; “Do more than exist; live. Do more than touch; feel. Do more than look; observe. Do more than read; absorb. Do more than hear; listen. Do more than listen; understand. Do more than think; ponder. Do more than talk; say something. It is exciting and even healthy to innumerate the wonders and we should all do it. In doing so we should include the most wondrous of all the wonders, the Creator Himself, the Almighty, the God of Heaven and earth and everything that in them is.