Magical Being
In the novel Lunch in Paris, author Elizabeth Bard remarked on one of the reasons she loved her boyfriend and cherished their memorable times in that city: “He was still open to the magic of this place. I didn’t know a lot of people who were open to magic at all.”
It made me ask myself “Are YOU still open to magic?” I fervently hope so.
Some of us might hesitate when considering this, or feel uncomfortable in admitting it. In some cultures and religions, magic is seen as the heathenish controlling of events by un-Godly, supernatural powers. And, yes, magic can be understood as that --- but I’d like to focus on an alternate concept of “magic.”
The Oxford American Dictionary lists one of the definitions of magic as “a mysterious and enchanting quality.” Enchant means “to fill with intense delight.” Voila! To me, “intense delight’ sounds a lot like … Joy. And Joy is what I need in my life right now. Maybe more than ever before.
As a devoted admirer of Paris, I have been scorned by many American tourists who visited that grand city and only saw dog poop on a sidewalk, experienced a less-than-commodious restroom, or suffered the attentions of a supercilious waiter. Their memories are all negative --- memories of intense frustration or disdain. I am so sorry they missed the intense delight that I, Elizabeth, and her boyfriend, find there. They missed the magic.
In our stressed, multi-tasking world, it’s easy to fall into the mind set of “just moving the chains “, as in the footballer’s mantra of making small, consistent gains in moving the ball down the field to reach the goal. We get so focused on checking off all the boxes in our “to do” lists that we make each day a task rather than a gift. Drudgery. We only experience the anxiety instead of being open to awe. We feel no delight, experience no whimsy, see no magic. Bob Marley said it this way: “Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet.”
How much of life do you spend simply enduring rather than enjoying? We must be alert to the magic of life. We need the intense delight that comes from being open to all the mysteriously wonderful things that God has placed in our world. He gave us fireflies, the Northern Lights, and chocolate, people!
Think of how magnificent God is, how he created the entire universe. He exists outside of space/time. He is in our past, our present, and our future. How can this not be “magical”? We can see stars tonight that He flung into space billions of years ago. There are other galaxies besides our own. In Daniel 2:22 we are told, “He reveals deep and mysterious things.”
God loves to enchant us. Sitting at my kitchen table I can press a button on my handheld Kindle and BAM! ---in less than ten seconds a 1000-page novel is in my grasp. That’s magical. Think of Snowflakes. Fireworks. Glitter. Shooting stars. Caterpillars becoming butterflies. Flowers unfurling. Singing. Music. The iPhone. If you stop wondering about how it all comes about… it’s magical.
Every time I cook the filling for my dad’s favorite chocolate pie, I stand there stirring and stirring and looking at the concoction, certain it will never come out right. To the hot milk, cornstarch and sugar I added egg yolks and butter melted with cocoa powder and it’s all swirling around in an unformed, greyish, gelatinous mess. More stirring and stirring. Until, at one gloriously magical moment, literally a one second don’t- blink -or -you’ll –miss-it thing, the milky white mass streaked with yellow and brown suddenly coalesces into a smooth, silky, bubbling, luscious dark chocolate treasure. One second makes all the difference. The magic of that miracle moment of chemistry brings me intense delight. (Not to mention it brings the benefit of licking the spoon and pan after I decant the mixture in to the pie shells!)
We should try to notice and delight in the magicalness of things we come across everyday. Sometimes it’s interesting or beneficial to actually learn how things work, but many times it’s great just to enjoy them as “magical.” Allow yourself to revel in God’s majestic and mysterious ways. I believe it honors Him and enhances our lives beyond measure.
My husband rents a beach condo during his birthday week. We take our little dog with us. Rather than simply opening the door to our own backyard for the pooch to go do his business, we are required to take him downstairs for a walk several times each day. Hercules, our 17-pound bundle of moxie, handles this new routine with aplomb. I watch his face as the elevator door opens and we enter and are set in motion. The door opens again … and we are in an entirely different location than where we began. What does he think about this? Does any question pop into his little brain? To him, it must be magic. But he loves the ride and accepts it with confidence, stepping out boldly.
Even if it’s not Paris that enchants you, think about the best vacation trip you ever had. Each morning you set out determined to pounce on all the experiences and sights that had prompted you to select that place. Recall how you dismissed any inconvenience or unloveliness, and set your heart to ignore things that were disappointing or unmagical. You endeavored to be enchanted. That was your mission. Remember that fabulous meal? The spectacular sunrise/sunset? The charming ambiance? You pursued and grabbed the magic.
We need to seek out the mysterious, miraculous things God has provided and boldly go out into the new land when the doors open. God’s type of magic is the cure for a negative, mundane life. Be a magical being.
What magical things give you intense delight?
How has God revealed mysterious things?