By: Jodie McEwen

Awe can help us be more generous and empathetic.

It connects us to the divine and make us feel like we’re part of something bigger than ourselves. Activating awe shifts our attention away from ourselves and gives us fresh eyes and new perspective.

And isn’t that at the heart of Jesus’ commands to love God and love others?

‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength’. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Mark 12:30-31

I don’t know about you, but I need more awe and wonder in my life. More reminders and time to ‘unself’ and connect into the expansive fabric of Creation that stretches infinitely beyond me, my experience and understanding. I want to be obedient to gentle nudges from the Spirit to disconnect from my inner monologue, worries and fears and intentionally reconnect to my Creator.

Jewish New Year Starts with 10 Days of Awe

September 15 is the start of the Jewish New Year, and the beginning of the most holy season in the Jewish calendar. The ‘Ten Days of Awe’ or ‘Ten Days of Repentance’ starts with Rosh Hashanah 15-17  September and ends with Yom Kippur 24-25 September.

The festival of Ten Days of Awe is a time of repentance, a chance to examine our conscience and change our ways. The Ten Days of Awe challenge encourages each of us to pursue moments of awe and wonder through:

• Moral beauty: stories and acts of kindness, courage, strength, goodness, overcoming, purity, intention and action.
• Collective effervescence: getting amongst the energy of a group of people, coming together with purpose and drive.
• Nature: immersing ourselves in the wild intricacies of creation.
• Music: looking for the patterns, stories, messages and emotions that music evokes in each of us.
• Visual design, art, architecture: discovering the craftsmanship of the creator pr creating a work for the sheer joy of it
• Spirituality and religion: deep awareness of the divine and holy
• Epiphany: profound insight through realisations of truth

Join the #TenDaysOfAwe Challenge

Every day from 15-25 September, commit some time and energy to pursuing moments of awe. It could be a short few moments or it could be hours, but seek it out and notice how it impacts your sense of wellbeing.

1. Become more mindful and open to stories and experiences that spark wonder.
2. Stay curious and notice how moments of everyday awe make you feel.
3. Simply enjoy this experience for yourself or post what you experience on social media using #tendaysofawe. 

Thanks to brand strategist and creative director Sam Valich for instigating the Ten Days of Awe challenge. We hope it will inspire you to be intentional about your faith and focus on Jesus.

We’d love to know what you learn or discover during this time and how it connects you more closely to the Creator, so let us know how you go or follow us on Instagram.

Article supplied with thanks to Rhema 99.7.

Feature image: Photo by Karl Fredrickson on Unsplash