The How and the Why...

 

 

"My goal is simple. It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all"

 

Stephen Hawking

1985 

 

 

I like it when people are honest. I really like it when scientists are honest. As of late, more and more scientists are telling us how much they don't know, rather than what they do know. For example, in 2012 a group of astronomers came forward and declared they only understand 4% of the universe. In addition, other scientists have told us they know more about the surface of Mars (which is not much) than they do about our oceans. Finally, more and more are being brutally honest by saying this - they don't know why things have happened in the past or continue to happen today. Some can guess on the how, but not the why.

 

One of my favorite theologians said God may be seen in the vastness of space as well as in the most minute of atomic building blocks. The immense vastness of space is something so incredible, it is impossible for the human mind to comprehend it. When I was a young boy, I would look to the heavens and extend my arm. I would pretend that if my arm went on indefinitely, it would never stop. I thought about forever, both in time and in space. It is a concept the human mind cannot understand - not even slightly. If someone was asked to define the "how" and the "why" of forever, it would be impossible. There are no words.

 

In our back yard, we have many varieties of birds. Most are songbirds, but we also have a nice selection of woodpeckers. Why are there so many beautiful varieties of birds? Why are the birds colored so differently, so stunning in their design? Why is there color at all? Where did this color come from? The scientists will tells us this comes from years of genetic manipulation. How that work? Why does DNA control so much, and how does it become implanted in our cells and evolve over many thousands of years?

There are so many mysteries in this world, it can boggle the mind. It is tempting to say everything that exists now, has ever existed, or will exist in the future, is result of evolutionary mutation, an accident. Or, are things the way they are due to a "grand plan", an architect, a Creator. As tempting as it is to write God out of the creation, it is a giant leap of faith to think everything our world and our universe, happened without Him. It is okay to try, but it is climbing a very steep hill to do so.

So tomorrow, as I have done most every day, I will look at our world with wonder and amazement. All of this was created for us to enjoy and explore each and every day. Will we ever understand everything at our feet or in our skies? Probably not. But who cares? We don't have to. With spring right around the corner, our world will once again turn green and the miracle of growth will be all around us. We will see wonders we have seen many times before, or if we are lucky, we will find new ones to behold. As I explore the earth, as I look to the sky, I see the fingerprints of God. They are on everything, both great and small. That is my belief, and I am good with it. I am very, very good with it.