While I drink my tea this morning, I’m sitting at my kitchen table gazing out at thousands of snowflakes falling. It’s said that no two snowflakes are the same. They all have a unique lattice structure, just as each human has a unique set of fingerprints. I heard yesterday that scientists are looking at the bacteria on our bodies and have discovered that we carry and spread our own unique set of bacteria on everything we touch.
It seems that creation is wired to show us how each any every part of our lives is unique. There are overarching patterns and themes, but every voice carries its own melody into the symphony.
The uniqueness of all creation fills me with awe. I am completely amazed when I think of all the infinite detail of everything. I appreciate the work of scientists who can focus on a specific small slice of the universe and spend their whole lives looking deeper and deeper into that one area. At the same time, I know I could not do it. I enjoy looking at the interactions and the big picture far too much.
My life hinges on a series of wonders. I’m talking about spiritually, but as I typed that I know that physically it is also true. My spirit, though, seeks wonder. When I travel, I much prefer spending time in nature than in cities. Although humans have built and done great things, our achievements can be seen around the world, while animals, plants, mountains, ocean floors, they are all unique to each place. Most of all, the natural world fills me with wonder. In that wonder is my worship and adoration to my God.
When I traveled to Bolivia as a teenager, the most striking thing in that entire trip was a night that our bus broke down in the middle of nothing. We had to get out of the bus. When we did, I saw the most awe inspiring sight of my life. The stars. Not the stars like I have ever seen anywhere else in the world. We were far far away from the lights of any city. It was the middle of a dark night, and the middle of a desert area. It was incredible. There were millions, millions, of stars. We are missing so much of wonder in our cities, for all of our civilization and technology. I have never seen a new gadget and been awed by it. But looking at a single leaf, or an ant, or another person: those can create awe and wonder.
