The Big Bang Theory
“If the rate of expansion one second after the big bang had been smaller by even one part in a hundred thousand million million, the universe would have re-collapsed before it ever reached its present size.”
“The remarkable fact is that the values of these numbers seem to have been very finely adjusted to make possible the development of life.”
Stephen Hawkings
Growing up, I never understood why people thought a fascination in Science and Math meant a separation from Faith; that the two can never be married; and that scientists are inevitably atheists or agnostics. Science and Math had always served as objective and concrete proof of God's existence for me. I mean, think about it. There is too much order and symmetry in the universe - from far off celestial bodies to the inner workings of our DNA - to miss or deny the existence of an extremely obsessive compulsive Engineer!
(Read more about it here: Has Science Discovered God?)
So, what does this mean?
I am part of His Grand Design. My existence was meticulously planned, so that I come out exactly the way I am.
And, because He has designed and set the world in motion like one extremely complex domino structure, I have a purpose. Whether it is to the world or to just one person, I am meant to make an impact and set something or someone else into motion.
Exotic Particles
“But I think the number that made the biggest impression on me concerned the lifespan of the 'exotic' particles created in the LHC. The longest-lived of these particles could exist for only a few hundred-millionths of a second before decaying; the shortest-lived were so unstable that their existences couldn't even be observed in a conventional sense. They popped into being and were gone in the same tiny fraction of an instant ...
But the more I thought about this, and the more I thought about how old the universe was, and hold it would become before it suffered its final heat death, the more I realized that all matter was akin to those exotic particles. The size and scale of the universe made everything else unimaginably small and fleeting. On a universal timescale, even the stars would be gone in much less than the blink of an eye.”
The Universe versus Alex Woods
(Some reinforcements along this line of thinking: Michio Kaku: Is God a Mathematician?)
It is humbling to understand how small we are and our lives, fleeting, in universal scale. But that is not my main point here. It is, that every single particle that ever existed in the universe for a "tiny fraction of an instant" contributed to the development of the universe and our world as we know it now.
We are not the only ones important. Everything else is, too. This circle of life rests upon a delicate balance, that only we have the power to maintain or tip over.
Time
“His life had become simple and uncluttered, and when you're living life like that, I think time can seem to stretch on forever. Matters only change when you start fretting about all the things yo need to get done. The more stuff you try to force into it, the less accommodating time becomes.”
The Universe versus Alex Woods
I am my God's creation.
I am just as obsessive and compulsive as He is, wanting everything to be perfect. But, whereas God has eternity, in this life, I have only a "tiny fraction of an instant". So, I overloaded it with a host of lists and to-do's. Afterall, life is short and I have to accomplish all of these things. I had planned my days down to the very last second.
The past years, though, I realized that my plans and to-do's do not always line up against God's design. As a result, I ran into and pushed against walls, and it had been terribly frustrating.
I realized, that following God's will required a lot of fluidity, flexibility and faith. It meant being choiceful and taking out the clutter of trivial pursuits. It meant being open to changes of plans to allow His plan to unfold. It meant trusting, that all the wrong turns and mistakes will lead us to where we should be when we should be.
When we live each day this way, we realize that time isn't short; that there is no need to run; and that there is ample time to live. This way it's less stressful (and reduces the chances of cancer ... seriously!).
So ... What will you do with your "tiny fraction of an instant"?
From Today's Readings
Psalm 27:13-14
"I believe that I shall see the bounty of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord with courage; be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord."
GOSPEL: Matthew 9:29-30
"Then he touched their eyes and said, 'Let it be done for you according to your faith.' And their eyes were opened."
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