More galaxies than grains of sand on every beach of this world.
Taken with the Hubble Deep Field, January 15, 1996
Since it’s a lovely morning, why don’t we take stock of a few things that most of us take for granted. Let’s start with some practical aspects of “reality.” Here we are— billions of us— whizzing through time and space, on a molten-core spheroid, which is spinning in circles about a thousand miles an hour. We are orbiting a pale yellow star at nearly 67,000 miles per hour. That star is traveling at roughly 559,232 miles per hour; or 150 miles a second. That’s right; 150 miles per second.
We are buffered from all that velocity by a thin blanket of air.
We are living, sentient beings; creatures that can think and reflect about our life, and wonder if it has a meaning. We have learned we are made up of an amazing variety of discrete, infinitesimal “particles” that aggregate for a time in space, giving us each a temporary physical presence; we also know this state of affairs is largely illusion. That is to say, comparatively speaking, that there is as much relative “space” between our corporeal “particles” as there is between the planets of our solar system.
Somewhere near the top of this collection of atoms we casually call our “selves,” is an even more unique and astounding collection of electrochemical particles that produce “thoughts,” and even attach a sense of “realness” as well as personal identity to them; we think they’re “ours.” This miniature galaxy of ideas, ideals, memories, feelings, values, neuroses, etc., we presume to call our “self.” Forget for the moment that NO ONE in recorded history up to the present moment has been able to scientifically explain what consciousness IS; we all take it for granted that it’s real.
So— without a cohesive explanation of a Creator/God, all this information and all it entails, is extremely disconcerting; because without God, “we” are just a discrete, albeit confused and meaningless, temporal anomaly.
Hopefully you already get the point of this little exercise: that despite the essentially miraculous nature of even our physical existence, there are still many confused mortals— who think nameless despair is our only reward for living and toiling under the temporal sun of this existence. To these minds, each day of life more surely tightens the grasp of a pitiless doom which a hostile universe of matter decrees shall be the crowning insult to everything in human desire which is beautiful, true, noble, and good.
But that is not man’s end, nor his eternal destiny. Such a dismal vision is just a cry of despair, uttered by some wandering soul who has become lost in spiritual darkness, or fallen victim to the mechanistic sophistries of some philosophy, or just blinded by the confusion and distortion of life in the “information age.”
But all of this darkness and despair can be effectively overcome by one brave stretch of faith— by you— or anyone else.
Here is one of the important answers I’ve found: If anyone chooses to do the divine will, they shall know the way of truth. That “way” never excludes honest doubts and sincere questions. But even though childlike trust will get you through the entrance of the spiritual world, if you want to progress in understanding that world, you must exercise the robust and confident faith of a full-grown spiritual adult.
Someone has said that this voyage to find God is “exhausting”; that it shouldn’t be this tough. And that’s why many timid souls attempt to escape from the incessant pressure of life through religion, which seems like the best avenue of escape. But real religion should prepare you to bravely, even heroically, face the ups and downs of life. Real religion is the one thing which can enable us to carry on, and “endure as seeing Him who is invisible.”
If your religion isn’t doing that for you— with you— then perhaps what you’ve been calling religion, isn’t real religion after all. But if you’re willing to re-assess your idea of faith— and learn anew what real faith should be— that you, or anyone, can find the religious certitude of living truth. That means living a life that unfolds in ever-expanding wonder and joy; even to eternity.
God isn’t hiding. It’s truly astonishing to me how many human beings look at nature and utterly look right past its transcendent beauty! From the microcosm to the macrocosm, nature is completely astounding when seen with the eye of the spirit, and easily the most dependable avenue to daily spiritual experience.
God has mobilized divine wisdom in a never-ending effort to reveal himself to all beings in his universe. There is an infinite grandeur and generosity in the majesty of his love, which causes him to yearn for the association of every created being who can comprehend, love, or begin to approach him. Therefore, it’s the limitations inherent in us— inseparable from our finite personality and material existence— that determine the time and place and circumstances in which we each may achieve the goal of the journey of mortal ascension, and eventually stand in the presence of the Father of all things and beings in Paradise.
There is in the mind of God a plan which embraces every creature of all his vast domains, and this plan is an eternal purpose of boundless opportunity, unlimited progress, and endless life. And the infinite treasures of such a matchless career are yours for the striving!
The goal of eternity is ahead! The adventure of divinity attainment lies before you! The race for perfection is on! Whosoever will may enter, and certain victory will crown the efforts of every human being who will run the race of faith and trust, depending every step of the way on the leading of the indwelling Adjuster and on the guidance of that good spirit of the Universe Son, which so freely has been poured out upon all flesh.
— The Urantia Book• • •
•
