May 9, 2011 at 1:53 AM
A refresher course b4 we begin:
Yeaahhh, this is a very long one- but it's good stuff :-) Okay, here we go:
me AGAINST THE UNIVERSE
I get trapped in thoughts of the significance of my life: my future, my career, the things I want to accomplish, the impact I’ll make, my role in God’s plans for humanity... and that’s the positive, well-intentioned stuff. I also get caught up a lot in my feelings, frustrations and pet peeves, my expectations (ahem, demands) of God and others, my struggles, my hormones...
Today, I saw a documentary at church that put me in my place:
I’m a flash within a pale blue dot, off-centre of this solar system, in one of the hundreds of billions of galaxies in the known part of this universe; the entire length (or diameter) of it continually being created and sustained by God- the God who loves me.
This statement could be approximate to the truth when we define the emboldened terms:
Head aching yet?
And the show stopper:
The GOD who LOVES me.
(Facebook won't let me tweak font sizes; but originally, 'God' and 'Love' are Size 72 and 'me' is sz 8)
That’s slightly better. So, the one who made all this- just for kicks- is crazy about me... come-in-human-form; die-naked-strung-up-before-His-haters crazy about me. Coming in human form is major enough. Can you imagine the hand that created the universe... touching you- to heal an ache or disease? Comforting you cuz your only brother died? Breaking bread and passing it on? Picture the mouth that spoke it all into existence crying out in pain as ‘a flash in a pale blue dot in a...’ nails the very hands that formed everything? That’s deep enough. As a human being, saying ‘I love you’ is one thing; but He committed the most extreme act of love possible: dying for love. Dying – considering that not all of us choose Him anyway.
So all of a sudden, I’m lifted up again; but not the same way as before. Now, I’m significant because of who I am to Him. Take Him out and I’m: ... a flash within a pale blue dot, off-centre of this solar system, in one of the hundreds of billions of galaxies in the known part of this universe (bearing in mind the background info for each term). Now, that’s perspective.
And hey, next time I have a problem, a worry, disappointment, fear... I’ll try to remember:
It’s a flicker within a flash within a pale blue dot, off-centre of this solar system, in one of the hundreds of billions of galaxies in the known part of this universe; the entire length (or diameter) of it continually being created and sustained by God- the God who loves me (terms and conditions apply :-).
Plus, I’ll never see God’s hand the same way again:
“Behold, JEHOVAH's Hand is not shortened so that it cannot save, nor is His ear heavy so that it cannot hear” (Isaiah 59:1). I mean, if God can create stars, surely he can handle ‘a flicker within a flash... ’ ; and so I can say: “As for me, behold, I am in Your Hand. Do with me as seems good and right to you.” (Jeremiah 26:14) But on the scary side, this is the God: “... whose fan is in His hand, and He will cleanse His floor and gather His wheat into the storehouse; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” Matthew 3:12.
For good or for bad, may we no longer underestimate God. Amen.
The lines are beams of sunlight...
Yup, that's us.
A refresher course b4 we begin:
- Our solar system: basically the sun+ 9 planets
- The sun is a star- nowhere close to the big stars, actually (& see how it stretches Ghanaians in the afternoons. mtchew)
- Collection of stars = constellation
- Galaxy = plenty constellations (we're in the Milky Way Galaxy)
- Universe: well, they guess there are possibly abt 80 billion galaxies in the fraction of the universe that is known...
Yeaahhh, this is a very long one- but it's good stuff :-) Okay, here we go:
me AGAINST THE UNIVERSE
I get trapped in thoughts of the significance of my life: my future, my career, the things I want to accomplish, the impact I’ll make, my role in God’s plans for humanity... and that’s the positive, well-intentioned stuff. I also get caught up a lot in my feelings, frustrations and pet peeves, my expectations (ahem, demands) of God and others, my struggles, my hormones...
Today, I saw a documentary at church that put me in my place:
I’m a flash within a pale blue dot, off-centre of this solar system, in one of the hundreds of billions of galaxies in the known part of this universe; the entire length (or diameter) of it continually being created and sustained by God- the God who loves me.
This statement could be approximate to the truth when we define the emboldened terms:
- Flash: I’m a flash only to those my life is visible to- my family and friends, etc. So to President Obama or the late (?) Osama, well, I'm not even a flash at all. Again, my plus-or-minus-seventy years are just that- a flash- in perspective to the time humanity (not to mention the universe) has been around.
- Pale Blue Dot: The ‘Pale Blue Dot’ is a photograph of planet Earth taken in 1990 by the spaceship, Voyager 1. In this picture, the earth can best be described as “... a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam” (Carl Sagan). See pictures below. Kindly note: The picture was taken from the edge of our solar system. A few more light-years away (still within the Milky Way) and the dot wouldn’t have been visible. One more thing: the name of the photo is more poetic than accurate because the colour of the earth is actually indiscernible from the photograph. ie: you can’t even tell the colour of ‘our dot’ from the edge of our solar system. That’s how ‘large’ our world is.
- Off-centre: The earth isn’t at the centre of our solar system (we’re not even the middle planet); worse, our solar system is not even at the centre of the Milky Way Galaxy. Even with an ego as big as mine, I’m feeling pretty insignificant right about this time. My constellation is not the centre of my galaxy, my solar system is not the centre of my constellation, my planet is not the centre of my solar system... on and on... I’m not the centre of my life??? Hmmm...
- H of Bs of Galaxies: Yup; according to Wikipedia, there are probably more than 170 billion (1.7 × 1011) galaxies in the ‘observable universe’. That’s a guess, by the way. They can’t count ’em.
- Known Universe: We’ve only gone so far; but so far, with every new telescope, spaceship or space gadget built, a whole lot more (in simple English) is seen...
- Length or diameter: Scientists say the universe is probably spherical- another guess :-)
Head aching yet?
- Continually...: For the Milky Way (our galaxy), about 3 stars, the size of the sun and above, are formed each year. For the known universe, it’s estimated that over 270 million stars are born each year. Yup, every second, God creates a new star; a new baby; a new plant; a new revelation; a new idea... and He takes care of every single one of them. See also Genesis 1; Isaiah 40:12; Isaiah 48:13.
And the show stopper:
- The God who loves me: The full statement, word by word, makes me feel smaller and smaller and less and less significant till it gets here- the punchline, if you will: the God who loves me. Sorry:
The GOD who LOVES me.
(Facebook won't let me tweak font sizes; but originally, 'God' and 'Love' are Size 72 and 'me' is sz 8)
That’s slightly better. So, the one who made all this- just for kicks- is crazy about me... come-in-human-form; die-naked-strung-up-before-His-haters crazy about me. Coming in human form is major enough. Can you imagine the hand that created the universe... touching you- to heal an ache or disease? Comforting you cuz your only brother died? Breaking bread and passing it on? Picture the mouth that spoke it all into existence crying out in pain as ‘a flash in a pale blue dot in a...’ nails the very hands that formed everything? That’s deep enough. As a human being, saying ‘I love you’ is one thing; but He committed the most extreme act of love possible: dying for love. Dying – considering that not all of us choose Him anyway.
So all of a sudden, I’m lifted up again; but not the same way as before. Now, I’m significant because of who I am to Him. Take Him out and I’m: ... a flash within a pale blue dot, off-centre of this solar system, in one of the hundreds of billions of galaxies in the known part of this universe (bearing in mind the background info for each term). Now, that’s perspective.
And hey, next time I have a problem, a worry, disappointment, fear... I’ll try to remember:
It’s a flicker within a flash within a pale blue dot, off-centre of this solar system, in one of the hundreds of billions of galaxies in the known part of this universe; the entire length (or diameter) of it continually being created and sustained by God- the God who loves me (terms and conditions apply :-).
Plus, I’ll never see God’s hand the same way again:
“Behold, JEHOVAH's Hand is not shortened so that it cannot save, nor is His ear heavy so that it cannot hear” (Isaiah 59:1). I mean, if God can create stars, surely he can handle ‘a flicker within a flash... ’ ; and so I can say: “As for me, behold, I am in Your Hand. Do with me as seems good and right to you.” (Jeremiah 26:14) But on the scary side, this is the God: “... whose fan is in His hand, and He will cleanse His floor and gather His wheat into the storehouse; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” Matthew 3:12.
For good or for bad, may we no longer underestimate God. Amen.
The lines are beams of sunlight...Yup, that's us.
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