FAITH
Here by Chance? Not a Chance!
By Todd & Jedd Hafer
CBN.com –
You’ve probably heard a teacher utter the cliché,
“There’s no such thing as a stupid question.”
Well, actually, there is.
We have asked many stupid questions in our lives, including a
few we’ve posed on purpose. Example one: When getting a
tour of a bomber jet at the Air Force Academy, we just had to
ask our guide, “Excuse me, Captain, but what junkyard did
a whirlwind blow through so that a bunch of spare parts, wires,
and scrap metal could accidentally form this complex jet?”
Here’s another one, from a tour of the Louvre art museum
in Paris. “Excusez-moi, Monsieur Guide de Tours, but how
many random spillings of paints did it take before this here Mona
Lisa was rendered?”
As you might imagine, one of these questions brought us a profanity-peppered
tirade and a threat to “tear off your arms and beat you
to death with the bloody stumps, you ignorant maggots!”
(The Air Force captain got mad at us too.)
Clearly, the two aforementioned questions were ignorant, even
by Hafer brothers’ standards. Intelligent design, such as
a bomber jet or masterpiece painting, screams in a big, booming
voice, “AN INTELLIGENT DESIGNER DID THIS, NOT SOME RANDOM
BOO-BOO!”
And yet there are people, even some from the scientific community,
who claim the universe, including human beings, is merely the
product of billions of years of random accidents. This is, if
you’ll pardon the use of scientific terminology, “a
load of horse-puckey.”
Just as the vision, passion, and talent of a great painter can
be seen in his or her art, God has revealed himself to us through
his creation. We should be awed and moved by the intricacy, wonder,
and beauty of God’s handiwork—the expanse of the sky
peppered with stars, the vastness of the oceans, the complex marvel
that is the human body.
Do you ever really look around and consider how amazing creation
is? Do you take time to ponder the beauty of God’s handiwork
and how awesome he is? Ever thought of the mass of the sun, which,
by comparison with other stars, is average at best? And it’s
just one of millions. In fact, in the Bible’s account of
creation, only a handful of words are devoted to the creation
of stars. Much more ink is given to the creation of women and
men.
God made light. How cool is that? Where did he get the
idea for that one? Have you ever truly pondered this? He invented,
created, and is busy right now sustaining all of the world, all
of life.
Sadly, with the growth of technology—and a few people’s
egos—we are less and less in awe of God’s artistry.
We have supposedly figured out so many things that we have forgotten
how great God is. Recently, we heard about an association of biology
teachers who came to the learned conclusion that the universe
came into being without any help from a Supreme Being.
What does all this have to do with you? Simple. If you believe
that you and all around you are just the by-products of some cosmic
accident, you might live as if this lie were true. If we are all
just accidents, merely “ooze that got lucky,” then
why does life matter at all? What possible meaning could it hold?
Ever wonder why so many people sleepwalk through life, check
out of life (via suicide or chemical dependency), or treat other
people’s lives like a used Kleenex? You might have to look
no farther than some college and high school biology texts.
By contrast, knowing the truth—that human beings are beloved
works of art, crafted by the almighty God—compels us to
check into life, do a big, off-the-high-dive cannonball right
in the middle of it.
Think about it: Michelangelo toiled on his back for four years,
painting the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling, carefully rendering
the details even in the dark corners because, as he explained
to critics who claimed no one would look at those parts of his
work, “God will see.” Would he have suffered for his
art if he thought he was just a hunk of ooze, painting for the
amusement of a bunch of other ooze blobs?
Would Mother Teresa have devoted her life to loving and caring
for the poor and diseased if she saw them as just a bunch of little
accidents rather than God’s children?
Would thousands of people (i.e., Jesus Freaks) have sacrificed
their lives for their faith if they believed they were just biological
accidents, by-products of “lucky ooze,” randomly happening
upon a cause with no meaning, in an accidental world? Quick, how
many nihilist martyrs can you name? How about nihilist humanitarians,
then? Okay, time’s up. It’s time to talk about Bach.
What kind of symphonies would good old J. S. Bach have composed
if he signed every sheet of music (all ten thousand of ’em),
not with Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be the Glory), but rather
with Soli Whatever Gloria? Would he have written music at all?
Like Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, and Bach, God put you here
for a purpose. And he is not distant from his creation. He is
involved. He cares. You are not just a work of art; you’re
a work of heart. The all-powerful Master Creator of the
Universe made you in his image, and he loves you personally. He
wants to have a close relationship with you. He wants that so
much that he sent his singular Masterpiece, Jesus Christ, to draw
you to his side.
Tonight, go outside and look at the sky. (The Bible says, “The
heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work
of his hands” [Psalm 19:1].) Take some time to stare at
the vast canopy above you, the stars, the moon. As you take it
all in, commit to living in light of the fact that you were designed
by the almighty God, the same one who placed every star in the
sky. You’re not an accident. You are a marvelous creation,
already in the process of sharing your gifts and making your unique
impact on your world.
We promise not to ask you to memorize too many verses in this
book, but here’s one worth tattooing on your brain: “So
God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created
him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27 NKJV).
Remember this one whenever anyone suggests you are an accident.
Here’s the real deal: When God was knitting you together
in your mother’s womb, you weren’t an accident waiting
to happen; you were a miracle waiting to emerge.
More excerpts from this book:
Introduction
The Love Perspective:
Nose Art
Excerpted from: Wake Up
and Smell the Pizza
by Todd & Jedd Hafer
Copyright © 2005 ; ISBN 076420033X. Published by Bethany
House Publishers. Used by permission.
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