| |
It was a hot and sultry New England evening in July. I put in a long day and needed some quiet time with God, so I took a little walk through a local park at dusk. It was overcast and cloudy. Not one star could be seen as the sun disappeared. Even the moon was hidden. Still, a little light from the day lingered.
As I walked into the thick woods, God blessed my heart and mind with a symphony of sights and sounds. It was totally unexpected. God was right on key. His instrument, Mother Nature, was in perfect tune. He sang, I listened.
I have walked down this path on countless occasions. Each time I find a little bit of peace under the elms, maples, oaks and beech trees. This time I tasted a magnificent measure of peace. I was entertained by a panoramic array countless shining points of light flickering on and off at will. It was a masterful symphony of lights.
Okay, so it was just a bunch of fireflies on a muggy summer night.
But what beauty came from a bunch of bugs! It was like glistening water in the sunlight but with no water and no sunlight. Each bug was shining its little hind end off in hopes of attracting a mate or something. They fluttered to and fro putting on a show for a one-man audience they could never conceive of impressing.
It is staggering to think of what nature puts its creatures through to find mates. Life can be so exhilarating, so frustrating. I hope someone somewhere is enjoying the show.
All the lightning bugs had to do was be what God made them. No big decisions, no taxes to pay, no history test to study for, no awareness of impending death, no raises to ask for, no sermons to preach, no articles to write, no clothes to wear, no CDs to store, no keys to lose, no beds to make and no guilt to deny. Still, they managed to put on a gorgeous display, beautiful enough for me to forget all those decisions, debts, sermons and CDs for a moment.
The God of the Bible created light out of darkness, order out of chaos, life out of dust and rainbows out of rain. He brought freedom out of slavery, victory out of defeat and forgiveness out of guilt. Is it He who makes sunsets out of smog, flowers out of scorched earth, cucumbers out of compost, hope out of despair and, yes, beauty out of bugs? Who else?
The next day, Newsweek came out with a cover article entitled, “Science Finds God.” Perhaps the title overstated the case. Faith is still the way to find God. Paul wrote, “We walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Absolute proof is still in the pudding somewhere. Science doesn’t prove God any more than a bunch of bugs do, or does it?
The cosmos is custom made for life. The universe has a boss. It follows rules real well. Creation is God’s character witness, bugs included, which means faith need not be blind. Yet, much mystery remains. Let the symphony continue.
Joel Mark Solliday, M.Div., is the editor of Campus CrossWalk and the pulpit minister of the Brooklyn Center Church of Christ in Minnesota. A Pepperdine graduate, he later worked in their Campus Life Office and at ACU as a Missionary in Residence. He earned his M.Div. at Fuller Theological Seminary. In Minnesota, he met and married his loving wife, Katie.
|
|
