“[Y]our book, BLUE . . . was refreshing! . . . Your explanations are clear, simple, and practical. The book explains the substance that brings people peace better than any book I've read. I really enjoyed it. I mean, really.”
--Mike Pelletier, Evangelist
“I really appreciate what you've written.”
--Dawn Hunter, Missionary
BLUE
A Graduate’s Guide to a Meaningful Life
by
Mark A. Absher
SMASHWORDS EDITION
Copyright © 2010 by Mark A. Absher
Franklin, Tennessee
Curiously, this ebook is more enjoyable to read in dark BLUE font, if available on your reader device.
Except as otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Cover Image: Derivative of “Blue Rose” by Pixomar at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
* * * * *
1. He gives us an amazing environment.
3. He gives us an opportunity to live eternally with Him.
A. Trust what He says to receive salvation.
B. Follow His Instruction for Living.
A. We are commanded to love people.
B. People are the only thing you bring to heaven.
C. Do good to people who aren’t so good.
C. By engaging your mind and your will
D. Remove bitterness from your life.
* * * * *
Several years ago I received a telephone call from the superintendent of my high school alma mater in Kankakee, Illinois. He called to invite me to speak at the commencement ceremony of the graduating class. Because of my already scheduled vacation plans, I had to decline the invitation. However, after the call, I began to wonder what I would have said to the seniors if I actually did give the commencement address. It struck me that the task is monumental, because most seniors who are about to graduate can really care less about what some random older person has to say to them at their graduation. They are principally interested in walking out of the school, diploma in hand, never to return again. All of the commencement speeches are, therefore, nothing more than impediments to their moment of freedom. I, for one, confess that I recall nothing from any of the commencement addresses given at my graduations from high school, college and law school. The real problem with this state of affairs, of course, is the fact that, as seniors who are about to graduate, the audience is in desperate need of advice—but many of them just don’t know it, and they don’t care that they don’t know it. Thus, the audience is unquestionably challenging.
Then, supposing that you accept the challenge of the audience, the critical mission becomes the substance of what you are going to say. You have one shot in twenty minutes to give a very important message to this very anxious group. What will you say? This question captivated me to the point that I began thinking about it and jotting down miscellaneous thoughts regarding the best advice that I could give to graduating seniors. I began supposing that I would, in fact, be giving the commencement address. Ultimately, I had a smattering of thoughts—none of them really knit together, but all of them wanting very much to be somehow simplified and unified.
A couple of years later, I received the invitation again. This time, with my schedule free, I was able to accept the invitation. I developed and refined my notes and considered my approach. I decided to get the graduates’ attention through the use of a PowerPoint presentation—something that just isn’t done at a commencement ceremony. I resolved to keep it simple and memorable. And I prepared to pack those 20 minutes full of the very best advice that I could give.
Having immersed myself at various times over those two years in thinking about that which really matters in life, I isolated what I believe to be the essential underpinnings of a life marked by peace, joy and a sense of fulfillment, which are the goals of real living, the goals that these seniors truly needed to apprehend. My desire for simplicity in conveying my understanding led me to an acronym—spelling the word BLUE. BLUE is simple as a word in that it has only four letters, and it also identifies itself with a meaning that most people find appealing—a color that imbues the heavens as well as the waters that grace our planet. It is the color of coolness and calmness as reflected in a clear sky, yet it is also the color of intensity and power as reflected in crashing waves and thunderous storm clouds. Because the color presents itself to us every day, we have a regular reminder of the word, which I hoped would translate into a regular reminder to this group of seniors of four essential imperatives that can bring meaning and significance to life. B stands for Believe God; L, Love People; U, Unshackle Sin; and E, Enjoy Life. There it is—four simple guidelines for living arranged into a single, memorable acronym.
The most interesting and unexpected outcome of my experience in giving the BLUE commencement address is the fact that, after the ceremony, it was the parents and the grandparents of the graduates who sought me out to express their appreciation for the words that I had shared. The confirming words of those who have travelled the road of life validated the significance of the message for young people who are preparing to enter independence.
It is my hope that, having considered what you are about to read, you will accept the value of the imperatives of BLUE and incorporate them into your life. I am confident that in so doing, you will be able to benefit from what a man who, as a Christian for over 40 years, husband, father, teacher, Bible student, and lawyer for over 20 years, has learned about life thus far. I wish that I had recognized the significance of and followed such principles when I was stumbling my way through life, so that perhaps I could have avoided some pains and gained some benefits from their application. It is my further hope in this regard that each time you see or think about the color or the word BLUE, you will be reminded to Believe God, Love people, Unshackle sin and Enjoy life. May God bless you as you live your life—meaningfully and hopefully in a manner that is consistent with the principles set forth in this simple BLUE guide.
Imagine that it's a mid-summer afternoon. You're all alone at home. You just fixed yourself a plate of your favorite edible delights. You sit down, planning to relax and watch a movie that you've been waiting to see. Life is good. You start the movie. Just when you've taken your first bite, there's an urgent, sharp 4-tap knock at your front door. You set down your plate, pause the movie, and fairly quickly proceed to the front door. You are particularly curious about the urgency of the knock. You open the door, and before you stands a man. He's clearly older than you are. He seems friendly enough, but he also seems a bit hurried and very intent. The man says your name.
“Yes,” you answer. Now your curiosity is even more aroused.
“I know that this is going to sound crazy, but you are about to go to some places that I have been to. I don't have time to give you all the details, and I don't have time to tell you who I am. But I managed to jot down some notes. Listen. You need to trust me on this. Things can go very, very bad for you, or things can go very, very good for you. It all depends on some very critical choices that you will have to make. These notes will help you. Look at me.”
You look the man in the eye.
The man looks you in the eye and says, “Someday, you will be like me—standing right here. You will see what I see, and you will then know that I was right about what I say in these notes. I know that you don't understand right now. But, if you follow these notes, things will go very, very well for you.”
The mysterious visitor hands you a small, blue book and suddenly, without explanation, he disappears.
You look down and open the cover of the blue book. You see the words written below.
One day when I was in sixth grade, my English teacher, Miss Woods, gave our class one of those typical English class assignments: write a poem. I was bummed. Writing a poem was not an assignment that I relished. But, of course, I had no choice. Now it just so happened that our science class, taught by Mrs. Beasley, was in the midst of a substantial, several week study of birds—ornithology—I still remember the word. We studied the unique characteristics of a host of birds and were in the process of compiling a little compendium of one page reports on each type of bird that became the subject of our study. So, I was somewhat knowledgeable, at that time, about birds. I had birds on my mind. Accordingly, I opted to write my poem about birds. I remember writing the poem at my kitchen table as my mother was busy working in the kitchen, cleaning up and putting supper together. The assignment took me about half an hour, and I couldn’t wait to get it done, so that I could get outside and hang out with my friends. I wrote it, read it to my mother, and secured her satisfaction of it, so I was good to go.
The next day, we were to read our poems aloud in class. When it was my turn, I fell upon a very awkward experience. After I read my poem, my teacher asked, “Did YOU write that poem?” “Yes,” I replied, not really understanding why I had been asked this curious question.
“Are you sure that YOU wrote that poem?” Ms. Woods was starting to sound upset, and I was getting even more baffled.
“Yes,” I again replied.
“Bring it here.” Ms. Woods was growing impatient.
“Okay.” I brought her the poem. She started looking it over. Then she read a couple of lines out loud.
“You wrote that?” Her voice was getting very strained.
“Yes.”
“Are you sure that you didn’t copy this from somewhere? How come I don’t see any erase marks?”
I pointed to a place on the paper where I knew that I had erased a line, but Miss Woods couldn’t, or didn’t want to, see it.
“I’ve heard this poem before,” she insisted. “You must have copied it. Do you have a book at home that contains this poem?”
“No. I just sat down at my kitchen table and wrote it. You can call my mom and ask her.” I was defensive and becoming very distressed. I realized that Miss Woods didn’t believe that I wrote the poem. I thought that somehow I was going to get into trouble. Interestingly, although I'm sure the poem was only “sufficient” in quality, I had this curious sense of accomplishment—I had written a poem that, to Miss Woods, was so good she thought it belonged in a book of poems. Wow—I had become a poet, although one who was about to get into trouble for a crime that he did not commit.
Then, the notorious action that stunned the class: Miss Woods tore the poem in half, and then tore it in half again. You could have heard a pin drop. I could feel the class siding with Miss Woods. She wouldn’t have torn the poem unless she was confident of my evil act. I began to wonder if it were possible to have accidentally replicated a poem that had already been written without ever having seen the original work. I concluded that it was impossible, given the length of my poem at nearly a page long. A sentence could be duplicated—maybe, but not an entire poem. I was becoming comfortable with the idea that no one would ever be able to find any work anywhere that matched my poem.
“Come with me to the office, young man,” Miss Woods demanded.
Now, I knew things were about to get ugly, although I figured that my mother would bail me out; she was there when I wrote the poem. However, it occurred to me that they may not believe her either. I was on the brink of being a convicted plagiarist.
We walked to the office and went straight to meet with the principal. “Mark Absher claims that he wrote this poem, but I am fairly sure that I have heard it before,” Miss Woods laid the pieces in front of the principal so that he could read it.
“Hmm,” the principal read the poem and then asked me, “Did you write this poem?”
“Yes. I wrote it at my kitchen table yesterday after school. You can ask my mom. She was right there.” I was really leaning hard on my objective, third party witness. My mom was an adult—a particularly useful witness for a junior high kid. However, again, her objectivity was suspect, being a close family member and all.
I was escorted into another office and told to sit for a while. I didn’t know if they were going to call my mother or prepare papers for my expulsion or both. It was a very unusual feeling. I could not believe that people didn’t believe me. I felt amazingly at peace knowing the truth, but it did hurt to know that I wasn’t believed.
The bell rang, and I knew that my class was leaving English and going into science class. My predicament was spilling over into another hour. About 15 minutes later, into the office walked Mrs. Beasley. She looked at me with a curious grin and went straight to the principal. She asked if she could read the poem. With the principal standing by, she read the poem and smiled. “Mark, you wrote an excellent poem! I love it.” She explained to the principal that we were studying birds, and some of the thoughts expressed in the poem had been the subject matter of our study of birds. “He wrote this poem. Now, can he come to class?” Mrs. Beasley had always been revered as a superior teacher, but she became extraordinary on that day. She believed me and defended me against the hostile world. It was such a relief to be believed.
In moments like these, when we are not believed, we get a taste of how God must feel a billion times over every day. It must be stunning to have so many people disbelieve you so much of the time. Ironically, all things considered, it is utterly absurd that we should ever not believe God.
Just so we’re clear; I’m not talking about believing in God; I’m talking about believing God. In this regard, I note that when people tell me that they believe in God, I say, “So what?” My response seems to take them by surprise. But it shouldn’t. Believing in God is elementary. James writes, “You believe that God is one; you do well. The demons also believe—and they shudder” (James 2:19). Have you ever wondered why the demons shudder? I have. I think I know why they shudder, and I don’t think it's because they believe in God. After all, they can see Him, and, for the rational, seeing truly is believing. Further, the Bible doesn't indicate at any point that angels, who also clearly believe in God, shudder. I think demons shudder because they believe God. Demons, as immortal beings, have had the opportunity to witness, through many millennia, the fulfillment of the declarations of God. And inasmuch as they are also familiar with the Word of God regarding their final destiny (Rev. 20:10-15), the demons, if they believe God, have good reason to shudder. And shudder they do.
Thus, it is not my objective, here, to persuade you to believe in God. I am assuming that you already believe in God. Of course, I do not make this assumption lightly. One of my good friends is an atheist, so I am sensitive to discussions regarding the existence of God. My friend and I have engaged in many discussions regarding the existence of God, and it is my prayer that he will one day come to know and accept Jesus Christ as both God and Savior. However, notwithstanding the fact that he does not believe in God, my friend would readily acknowledge the significant additional faith that it would take for a person who believes in God to then simply believe God. You can, for example, believe in me without ever believing a thing that I say. Thus, while I appreciate the fact that you believe in God, I am suggesting that you take your belief a substantial step further.
I think the distinction between believing in God and believing God is significant to God as well. Of course, God wants people to believe in Him. Indeed, His Word says, “the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him” (Heb. 11:6b). But He is particularly interested in having people believe what He says. As Jesus poignantly inquired of a skeptical and hostile audience, “Why don't you believe Me?” (John 8:46)
Before you read further, I want to make the point that I consider believing God to be the most foundational element for living such that if you only focused on one element of BLUE it must be this. If you sincerely believe God, I have great confidence that you are already on the track for living a great and meaningful life. Therefore, I strongly encourage you, at every turn and opportunity in life, to believe God.
I have a daughter who recently left her teenage years, so I have an idea as to how teenage girls think. To me, it’s scary—at times. The interaction between teenage girls and their parents is fascinating. I have, for instance, according to my daughter, “ruined” her life so many times that I have actually lost count of her lives. Perhaps more interesting, though, is the interaction insofar as it relates to boundaries. In discussions with my teenage daughter, I could inevitably expect to hear the following, simple responsive question: “Why?” In fact, she could emit a “Why?” before I could finish the imperative “Be home by _____”; you can fill in the blank with any time—it doesn’t matter. The conversation would typically trail along these lines:
“Be home ….”
“Why?”
“I didn’t even finish the sentence.”
“I know, but why?”
Of course, the next line could never be “Because I said so.” That would have been a total cop out, and she knew it, and, more importantly, she was happy to point it out to me. For my teenage daughter, nothing would suffice in response to “Why?” except the very best of reasons. In fact, I was usually a little shocked when the very best of reasons did suffice. It was my regular experience, however, that even the very best of reasons fell short in her estimation.
Although those teenage years proved challenging, I could take comfort in the fact that my daughter was, at least, searching for reasons. I believe that people who ask “Why?” are searching for meaning, and the search for meaning, in and of itself, creates a framework for the development of an intense life.
Thus, it strikes me as completely respectable that people would inquire as to why they should believe what God says. I have come to understand through my experience (and I would think that everyone should come to the same understanding through similar experience) that there are sound and significant reasons to believe what God says. Perhaps no book, other than the Bible, is capable of explaining all the justifications for a person’s believing God. And in this section of this book, I absolutely make no effort to exhaust or even state most of the reasons for believing God. In fact, it is likely that I have missed the best reasons for believing God. I do, however, state a few reasons that I believe scream for our attention. Though modest in its detail, I hope that the paradigm set forth below will give you at least a framework on which to develop your further understanding of why you should believe God.
Perhaps the first and foremost reason that you should believe God is the fact that He created you. You exist, because He enabled you to exist. Because He created you, He knows how you work best. He knows what you need and why you need it. In fact, He created existence as we know it. So not only does He know how you work best and what you need, He also knows how you work best and what you need in the very circumstances into which you have been placed.
Understanding the significance of God’s creation of you and your environment requires a bit of reflection on existence itself. And what I am about to share with you about your existence is a bit deep, but just walk with me through this thought, and I believe that God will become a bit bigger to you as a result.
Our existence, as we see and understand it, is comprised of only four basic physical components: time, energy, space and matter. Sounds a bit Einsteinish, doesn’t it? Actually, Einstein’s mass-energy equivalence formula, E=mc2, includes these components. These physical components of our existence, however, do not by themselves interact in any manner that makes sense. Even the most random confluence of these components could not yield a result that has any particular meaning. However, when we add four basic non-physical elements to the mix—information (truth and non-truth), intelligence (the ability to apprehend, process and communicate information), personality (the ability to make choices with regard to information) and meaning (the reason for a thing or action)—our reality becomes complete.
It occurred to me one day as I looked at my list of 4 physical and 4 non-physical components of our existence: time, energy, space, matter, information, intelligence, personality and meaning, that my reduction of all existence to these eight components has been presented to us by God in Genesis 1:1—“In the beginning (time) God (personality) created (energy) the heavens (space) and the earth (matter).” Thus, in introducing Himself to man, God explained that He is the one who derived our existence. The statement itself is information, its presentation requires His intelligence of expressing and our intelligence in receiving the information, and in so producing our existence, God necessarily yielded meaning for our living. The significance of that meaning is fleshed out in the balance of His Word.
I am fascinated that such a simple expression as is found in Genesis 1:1 could be so full of meaning, capturing all aspects of our existence. Interestingly, too, it seems that the more we learn about our environment and how it is comprised, the more amazed we should become upon contemplation of the simplicity and yet thoroughness of Genesis 1:1. Similarly, the more we study Scripture, the more we are likely to recognize the amazingness of His Word. As David recognized, “The words of the LORD are pure words” (Psalm 12:6). The Word of God is a perfect synthesis of explanation, meaning, motivation, inspiration, release and intellectual stimulation—a well of life to the very life to which it provides guidance. It is no wonder that Paul writes, “reality . . . is found in Christ” (Colossians 2:17) who is the Word of God, the revelation of God to mankind, cast into the form of man (John 1:1, 14).
In discussing existence, a friend once told me that he has always been amazed by the fact that everything we see is comprised of moving matter—atoms consisting of protons and neutrons with electrons spinning around them. I share his amazement in something that is challenging to explain—that is, how do decillions of electrons all simultaneously pursue their orbits in such a manner and at such speeds that everything doesn’t simply explode into oblivion? And then, perhaps more amazingly, the electrons hold their perfect arrangements in a manner sufficient to comprise us in our environments with our minds, enabling us to recognize that they are, in fact, comprising us in our environments with our minds. Scientifically, it is difficult to explain. Spiritually, it is less challenging to understand. God’s Word explains that “by Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). Certainly, the one who created existence should be able to maintain existence, and He does. The author of Hebrews writes, “The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word” (Hebrews 1:3a). The same powerful Word said, “‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” (Genesis 1:3). Think, for just a moment, about the power that can create light by the mere command that it be brought into existence.
But, I presented all that to say this: The fact that God created and maintains the existence of you and everything in your environment is reason enough to believe Him. If His words can create light and hold it and everything else—including you—together, don’t you think you should maybe pay attention to His words about how you should live your life? As Peter writes, “you will do well to pay attention to it” (2 Peter 1:19).
Perhaps to more practically understand this concept, consider the following example: Suppose you were given (as a wonderful and exciting graduation gift) a brand new (of course, BLUE) Corvette. Wow! That car would be your baby. Suppose, further, that after reading the owner’s manual for your new car, you decide that you will ignore some of the instructions and, instead, take care of your new baby in the manner that you decided best. For instance, instead of putting dangerous, smelly gasoline in the tank, you decide to use rubbing alcohol; after all, if you can put rubbing alcohol on your body, and it is combustible, it should be perfect for your beautiful new car. Further, suppose that instead of pouring messy, dark 10W30 oil (and we really don’t know what those numbers and letters mean anyway) in the engine, you elect, of course, to use baby oil; after all, it is oil, and it smells nice, the car is your baby, and the baby oil is clear and clean.
We all smile at the thought. Who in the world would ignore basic instruction by the manufacturer for the brand new Corvette? No one—in his or her right mind! The risk of loss is far too great.
Yet, how often do we ignore the manufacturer of our existence? How great is the risk of our loss of the essence of life itself? God, the very Author of Us, tells us how to live in order that we can get the absolute most out of life, but we shirk His instruction, taking matters into our own hands, thinking that our way is best. In reality, when each of us follows his or her own path, we are no less ignorant than the one who would put rubbing alcohol in the gas tank and baby oil in the engine of the new Corvette.
We should never ignore the simple fact that we are made by God. Moses asked, “Didn't [God] make you and sustain you?” (Deuteronomy 32:6c) David, a prominent king of Israel who loved God, acknowledged that God made him:
“For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:13-16).
The Psalmist also declared, “Your hands made me and formed me” (Psalm 119:73a). Job, in nearly identical words said, “Your hands shaped me and formed me . . . You clothed me with skin and flesh, and wove me together with bones and tendons. You gave me life . . .” (Job 10:8, 11-12a).
Similarly, Elihu, the only person who spoke to Job and whose words God sanctioned (Job 42:7-9), declared to Job:
“The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life” (Job 33:4).
The Apostle Paul, in giving a notable speech to a crowd in Athens, Greece, asserted that God “Himself gives everyone life and breath” (Acts 17:25) and “in Him we live and move and exist” (Acts 17:28). These five great men, Moses, David, Job, Elihu and Paul, acknowledged their origin in God. They recognized that they owed their very existence to their heavenly Designer. We should do no less, for we have been knit together by the same breath that brought these saints into existence.
We should also recognize that our environment was spoken into existence for our benefit. As the Psalmist exclaimed,
“The heavens were made by the word of the LORD, and all the stars, by the breath of His mouth.
He gathers the waters of the sea into a heap; He puts the depths into storehouses.
Let the whole earth tremble before the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
For He spoke, and it came into being; He commanded, and it came into existence” (Psalm 33:6-9).
Further, having acknowledged God as the originator of us and our environment, we should then consider the significance of following His instructions for us. God revealed Himself to us through His Word. We should not ignore it. On the contrary, we should be ripping through its pages every day, considering it to be the essence of meaning for our lives.
In sum, God made you and your environment; therefore, He knows what is best for you. He holds you together by His powerful Word, so He knows what will cause you to get the most favorable results out of life. This reason should, itself, be sufficient to prompt you to trust God. But God gives us more.
A second compelling reason for you to believe God is the fact that He loves you. Because He loves you, you can trust His plan for you. God’s words to you stand in stark contrast to the words of most people. A car dealer, for example, talks to you, and recommends that you take action to purchase a vehicle. However, the car dealer does not love you. The car dealer loves the car dealer. The car dealer wants money, and you have money. So the car dealer tells you what you should do, and often quite convincingly, in order to gain access to your money. Your action is a means to the car dealer’s end. The purchase of that car may be exactly the worst thing that you do at that particular time, but your best interests are not important to the car dealer.
God, however, has nothing but your best interests in mind. He needs absolutely nothing from you, because He gave you everything that you have. Therefore, you do not have to second-guess His motives in providing guidelines to you for living. You simply need to accept that He wants you to live a meaningful and enjoyable life.
I understood love in a real and interesting way when I found the girl who would eventually become my wife. Yet, I think I came to understand more clearly the type of love that God has for us when I became a parent. When you fall in love with the person who eventually becomes your spouse, you really only begin to taste love. I say “taste” because the marital relationship is highly reciprocal. Each spouse gives but also gets from the other. So, in many respects, a person learns to expect things from his or her spouse, and such expectations can, if allowed to do so, actually suppress true love. To develop the kind of love in the marital relationship that tempers expectations with a servant’s attitude takes time and spiritual transformation.
It’s not quite the same, however, with children. Children are love and attention sponges. They will accept all the love—tangible and intangible—that you give them, but they will not necessarily provide anything in return. Interestingly, though, parents just accept the fact that they will not get as much—if anything—in return from their children. As a parent, I can tell you that I don’t really care that my children give me anything in return, because I am more concerned with their well being than my own—that’s love.
One of my college professors, Dr. Walter Fremont, described love as “an unselfish desire to meet another’s highest good.” As a parent, I want the very best for my children, and I will often do extraordinary things on their behalf—for their highest good—at the expense of my bank account, my emotions and my comfort. As a parent, I begin to more fully appreciate and understand the love of God. God gives us so much, knowing full well that we are incapable of giving Him anything of value in return. He has an unselfish desire to meet our highest good. Thus, God epitomizes love.
The evidence of God’s love is manifested through His gifts to us. God’s gifts to us are amazing in both their quality and their quantity. His giving is unsparing. As you closely examine each gift in detail, you see only more gifts. You see only the purest of motivations. You see His genuine concern for us. You can see that He wants us to enjoy life. Consider the magnificence of just a few of His gifts.
1. He gives us an amazing environment.
Our environment is perhaps the most tangible of the gifts that God has designed and provided for our benefit. Indeed, it is unreasonable to suggest that God created the universe solely for His own benefit. Having the power to create such a universe, He most certainly could have folded it up after several days and started a completely new project for His own enjoyment. Instead, however, after creating the heavens, the earth and the animals, God created man—in His own image—and placed him in the center of the splendor. Man was the culmination of the universe. Thus, God must, therefore, have created everything for us—for our enjoyment, for our satisfaction, for our fulfillment. And when you take the time to consider the uniqueness and variety of our environment, a sense of awe will eventually overtake you and may well, at times, leave you breathless.
I don’t think that it’s possible to articulate the magnitude of the wonder of our environment. In fact, it seems as if each day I find myself saying “Wow!” about some new aspect of my environment. As a child, I remember every spring seeing a new insect that I had not seen before. I remember thinking, “Where has this bug been all my life”—as if I had lived a long time. The curiosity of “new” insects just popping into my environment has since become so commonplace that I now fully expect, each year, to see some bug that I have never seen before.
However, while the seeming introduction of new insects has been interesting, I am stunned by other factors of our environment. One of the wow considerations, I think, is the fact that aspects of our environment can be categorized according to various features—features that, in and of themselves, are quite breathtaking. Again, I can only note a few.
Symmetry
One of the more curious of the features of creation is symmetry. I have been amazed by symmetry now for nearly three decades. It started in a college biology class when a professor discussed bilateral symmetry as a characteristic of animals. Before that class, I hadn’t given the reality of symmetry much thought at all. Bilateral symmetry is the characteristic, she explained, that one side of an animal looks like the other side. One half of a creature is the mirror image of the other half of the creature. I have since learned (although it’s obvious to even the casual observer) that some creatures manifest radial symmetry—which is bilateral symmetry from every side view and bilateral symmetry from a top view. Jellyfish, starfish, and octopi, for example, demonstrate this characteristic.
Having been so introduced to the concept of symmetry, I began considering the application of that feature across the range of creation. It occurred to me that practically every living thing demonstrates a host of symmetrical features. Even the inanimate world presents a panoply of symmetry. To summarize my amazement of symmetry, I wrote a poem. I could explain the concept in text, here, but somehow, I think my poem will say it better:
The Scream of Symmetry
A spinning sphere, its halves the same, glides through silent space
in perfect orbit teaming with other planets screaming
that their symmetry of shape and path has a source in something more than chance.
In fact, this symmetry extends to every place
from the very microscopic to the reach of the expanse,
quietly declaring with a breadth quite overbearing
that each whole is halves—each half alike
in nearly everything that matters.
Is it for matter’s sake
that such symmetry flatters
such quirky things as the fishy shapes of clams and stars,
stingrays, whales and pike
as well as coral, shrimp, anemones, manatees and gars?
The forms of viruses and germs,
and the parts, the whole, the half, and the path of every snake,
the contour look of spiders, moths and gnats,
beetles, flies and worms,
and a billion other bugs that hide in dirt or share the skies
with other symmetric creatures
having halvish sameness aspect features
like finches, terns and hanging bats
or birds of prey,
whether soaring, diving or even perching quiet—all say
quite a lot aloud without a word about the symmetry they share
with our selves and cells and fingers, teeth and lungs,
our veins and ribs and ears and heels and tongues
and even tears sneaking
from and past each configured part of our very balanced faces, speaking—
with drops of mist in clouds and fountains
or as frozen flakes each alone
or combined in colored spectral bows that display
in each arching tone
with each atom making either dust or mighty mountains
as well as with the roots and stems and leaves of plants
in everything with legs or wings or DNA
its twisted ladder shape with every wave or bolt or spark
of light or sound—
a simple truth that’s quite profound:
This common feature isn’t happenstance
or the result of some explosion;
nor is it an evolving growth or some fortune quirk of time and motion;
it is rather—its uniqueness stark—
a glorious and clever, clearly loving maker’s perfect mark.
Thus, symmetry is pervasive. It is distinctively marvelous in its provision of beauty and its functionality. Symmetry provides for smooth and balanced movement. The more you consider the nature and extent of symmetry, the more astonished you will likely become. You should also become more open to the need to accept what that glorious Maker has in mind for you.
Color
The wowness of our world doesn’t stop with symmetry. I think symmetry is just the beginning. Symmetry is the signature of God. However, his signature has flair expressed in other features as well. Color is a relevant example. Color is the ink in the signature of God. Color is particularly appropriate, of course, given the title of this book. It is no coincidence that I consider blue to be the crown of color. In the Postscript to this book, I took a little time to write particularly about blue. And, once again, I have to admit that I have been thinking about color for some time, so I, of course, wrote a poem about it. As it turns out, I think the poem again captures my thoughts about color better than text alone:
This Color Thing
Why can we see color? Why is it here?
If everything were shades of gray
wouldn’t every image be as clear?
But instead we see a spectrum—a wide array
of light—striking everything that can be seen
with multi-variations that make our sight
a visual elation of something more than white.
Consider, wow, the atmospheric blues that in a saturating expanse
lift forming clouds
to a lavender height that turns orangish red at night,
while on the ground sagacious jade enshrouds
leafy plants whose tinctures sometimes dance
with just a change of glance.
Within these aspects, too, other chromas luster paint
our garden foods, and blushing taint
floral weeds with yellows, plums and pinks
(to begin the list),
while mutely clothing certain beasts like bears and minks
with grays and browns, and spraying deeply seas with aqua teals,
as, although most will likely never see,
tiny rainbows blink within the turns of shells and pearls—
both at once adazzle dim like beryls.
(Can you get the gist?
How can violets be, or creams?)
The cast of brilliance also screams from other living things—
the achromatic black of bats and seals,
for instance, stark contrasts like dreams
against the iridescent wings
of each bug and bird
the shades of which are like the dyes
and hues of other things that just “occurred”
with colors’ names—
like gold and silver, peach and lime,
copper, wine and indigo,
and gooish greenish slime.
You can almost touch and taste the reds of cherries
and the purple tints of other berries
that share their colored hems with emerald and ruby gems
as well as with the lilac tones that walk in petals
and also flash through flames
and splash on glossy metals.
This panoply of radiance demands an explanation;
it’s convincingly all over in multivarious names.
In fact, the optic experience is so intense
that we cannot help but sense
it isn’t chance
our eyes can see the finer
tinges of this presentation.
No, this color thing must be caused by a designer
who values our sensation.
Are you starting to get the picture? God is an awesome designer, and He made this world in all of its beauty for us to enjoy. It is His gift to us. I think He is satisfied each time we say, “Wow,” because He knows that, in each such moment, we start to get it. We start to understand Him. I say “start” because symmetry and color are just the tip of the iceberg of the awesomeness of nature.
Proportion
Consider also the concept of proportion. I’ve thought about this concept only within the last decade. (I haven’t written a poem yet, but maybe I’ll get to it in about 5 years.) When someone first mentioned the uniqueness of proportion to me, I immediately recognized that the concept takes symmetry to another staggeringly high level. Mathematicians and artists have considered proportion for hundreds—if not thousands—of years. There are varying degrees of proportion, and, in truth, probably everything that exists demonstrates multiple forms of proportion.
One of the more fundamental and widely discussed aspects of proportion is what has been described as “divine proportion” or “Phi.” It is denominated as divine, because it is so pervasive and yet so simple that it is deemed to have its origin obviously in God. In any event, it can, in essence, be described as follows (this is a mouthful and, therefore, a brainful, but try to get this, because the simplicity of it is so wondrous—although a bit difficult to explain in a sentence): divide a line in a place such that the ratio of the length of the longer part of the line to the length of the shorter part of that line is equal to the ratio of the length of the entire line to the longer of the two parts. If you prefer to consider this concept graphically, note the diagram below:
____________A____________._______B_______
In the diagram, supposing that lines A and B each represent parts of the line A+B, the divine proportion is the ratio such that A/B = (A+B)/A. Stated another way, B is to A what A is to A+B. That ratio, which is always 1.618, is particularly interesting because it is so universally applied. For example, the length of the last segment of your fingers multiplied by Phi yields the approximate length of the next segment of your finger. Again, the length of that segment of your finger multiplied by Phi yields the approximate length of the next segment of your finger. And, interestingly, that’s just the start of the application of Phi to a multitude of measurements applied to various parts of your body. In essence, not only are we bilaterally symmetrical; we are also divinely proportioned.
It’s no wonder the Psalmist writes, “I will praise You, because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, and I know [this] very well” (Psalm 139:14). But the evidence of divine proportion is not limited to our bodies. It is as expansive as symmetry—it’s everywhere. Every creature bears numerous marks of proportion. Those who have studied proportion explain that it also exists in sound waves, music, the rhythm of a heartbeat, and other interesting facets of our existence. In fact, were scientists to dedicate research time to the study of proportion, we would likely find a universe so amazingly proportional that it would literally make our minds pause in a reverent appreciation of our Designer.
Branching
Branching involves the extension of the scope or delivery of a structure or system through division into small components. Like symmetry and proportion, branching is also pervasive. When we think of branching, we typically think of trees—and most particularly the portion of the tree above the trunk. However, trees also exhibit branching below the trunk in the root system—a bit symmetrically, I might add. Rivers and streams branch as do blood vessels, lightning bolts, nerves, veins in leaves, and portions of plants. The fingers on the hand and toes on the feet evidence branching. Government systems and business organizations also function more efficiently with branching. Family units develop in a branching pattern—i.e., the “family tree.” Interestingly, Jesus, himself, is referred to as both a vine from which branches emerge (John 15:1-5), and the “branch” (Isaiah 4:2, 11:1; Jeremiah 23:5, 33:15; Zechariah 3:8, 6:12).
The applications of the function of branching are diverse, while the purpose is singular. Thinking about the concept of branching should draw you to an understanding that, considering its pervasiveness and functionality, branching is the product of design—by a powerful, intelligent and loving creator.
Flow
Flow is interesting in that it is accomplished successfully in relation to branching. Water flows in rivers and streams, which branch. Blood flows in our veins. Electrical impulses flow naturally through our nerves and are evidenced through lightning bolts. Management flows through government and business structures. Air flows.
The Bible includes some interesting statements regarding “flow”—many of which relate to eternal life:
Of course, numerous verses describe God’s promised land as a land “flowing with milk and honey” (e.g., Exodus 3:8, Leviticus 20:24, Numbers 13:27 and Deuteronomy 11:9).
In describing his vision of the Lord, Daniel noted that “[a] river of fire was flowing, coming out from His presence. Thousands upon thousands served Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was convened, and the books were opened” (Daniel 7:10).
In Amos, God declared that His people had forsaken righteousness, and He called for change: “But let justice flow like water, and righteousness, like an unfailing stream” (Amos 5:24).
The prophet Zechariah declared that on the day of Lord’s reign on Earth, “. . . living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea, in summer and winter alike” (Zechariah 14:8).
Describing the spiritual regeneration of believers, Jesus said, “[t]he one who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him” (John 7:38).
John, in describing his vision of the future as revealed to him, noted that the angel showed him “the river of living water, sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Revelation 22:1).
Flow is a symbol of life and abundance, and we experience it every day in a number of ways. Flow permeates our existence like so many of God’s other syntheses. Flow directs us to God because it demands our reason to consider sources and destinations as well as movement with purpose.
In sum, our environment is extremely amazing. It bears the marks of symmetry, color, proportion, branching and flow—to name only a few of its captivating and unifying characteristics. Each of the aspects of creation was designed to provide both aesthetic pleasure and functionality, again, for our benefit. Who or what else benefits from the glory of the Earth besides us and God? The application of such power and intelligence on our behalf is both humbling and awe inspiring and should prompt us to a sense of worship of the Creator. But most of all, it should cause us to recognize that God has a profound love for us. There simply is no other sound explanation for the existence and provision of such beauty throughout our life experience.
I remember several years ago being driven through some crowded streets in India. I was with a co-worker, and we were there to visit several orphanages in various cities. As we were driving along, our guide, Padma, a great woman who was responsible for directing one of the orphanages, was explaining to us the fact that, in many families, the marriages of sons and daughters were arranged by the parents; the children had no say in the matter. I had a difficult time appreciating this unusual marriage tradition. To me, choice of a spouse is everything in the marital relationship. It is precisely because I can choose my spouse, and she can choose me that I know we love each other. We have rejected other options in favor of each other.
I think that God would agree with me. In addition to giving us an amazing environment, God also gives us a choice. He does not require that we choose Him, for He says, “Choose for yourselves today the one you will worship”(Josh. 24:15). God wants us to have the opportunity to reject Him. He gives us this choice because He loves us. He wants us to have independence and freedom. Such choice was instituted as early as the Garden of Eden. The Bible states that “[i]n the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:9). And God thereby created the choice: “‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die’” (Genesis 2:16b-17). By giving Adam and Eve a choice, God allowed them the freedom to believe Him or to reject His admonition.
King David made a number of poor choices in his life. Ultimately, though, he learned the benefits of good choices. In one of his Psalms he wrote, “I have chosen the way of truth; I have set Your ordinances [before me]” (Psalm 119:30).
It is interesting that the same choice that is given to us in love is the choice that allows us to demonstrate love towards God. God wants us to believe Him, but rather than compelling us to do it, He allows us to learn the truth of His Word through our own experience. We can choose to ignore Him or to believe what He says. We can choose our own destiny. We can choose to love Him. And when we choose to love God, God can delight in our choice—a decision not made out of compulsion, but out of freedom. The gift of choice is simply another demonstration of His love for us.
3. He gives us an opportunity to live eternally with Him.
Perhaps most remarkable of all His gifts, God also gives us an opportunity to live with Him forever. John writes, “And this is the promise that He Himself made to us: eternal life” (1 John 2:25). Paul writes, “The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). The Bible states that “this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son” (1 John 5:11). It is interesting that not only did Jesus give Himself for us as a sacrifice so that we could have eternal life (John 3:16), but he is also referred to as eternal life itself: “He is the true God and eternal life” (1 John 5:20c). Peter acknowledged that Jesus was the source of eternal life: “You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). Jesus declared Himself to be the source of eternal life: “I give them eternal life” (John 6:40, 47; 10:28).
Thus, the gift of eternal life originates in God Himself, and He imparts that life—Himself—to us. God did not have to give us the opportunity to experience eternal life. It could have been his plan that our physical death marked the end of our existence, but He, again, just wanted to benefit us. He offers us the highest good available through the greatest act of selflessness—a sacrifice of His own life on Earth—the termination of His own human existence so that we could experience glorified, spiritual and eternal existence. Such a gift could only have been prompted out of love.
Therefore, inasmuch as God has given you life on Earth, and in so doing, placed you in an amazing environment, and then gave you eternal life at His own expense, there is no question that He loves you. You can trust Him, because He is your manufacturer. He knows how you function far better than even you could ever know. He has your best interests in mind. He has confirmed His desire for your greatest good through repeated acts of selflessness. Thus, when He gives you an instruction to do something or to avoid something, He is trying to help you get the most out of life and to avoid harm. He has made it abundantly easy to understand exactly why you can believe Him. The only question is whether you will believe Him.
Believing God should be simple. We should take one look at the universe into which we have been placed and say, “If He can do that, then I will believe Him,” and then search His word to see what He says. For whatever reason, though, it seems that we, in our various states of understanding who God is and what He’s done, fail fully to embrace His word. We either fail to comprehend His magnificence, attribute His magnificence to something or someone else, get used to His magnificence, omit or decline to read His Word or refuse to believe what He says.
The prophet Isaiah writes, “No one calls on Your name, striving to take hold of You” (Isaiah 64:7). David states that “God looks down from heaven on the human race to see if there is one who is wise and who seeks God. Everyone has turned aside” (Psalm 53:2-3a). Thus, we are not inclined to believe Him. However, our failure to believe Him is our loss. God offers so much to those who will believe that we miss the best He has to offer through the negligence of disbelief.
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