Flow
Sometimes we should simply connect with our inner helplessness. Are you able to accept criticism? Not all criticism is valid, but you need not react to it. Those who criticize you reveal more about themselves than they do about you.
What are you trying to control or avoid? Give up the control and give in to life. Pray. The ideas will come. The motivation will come. The focus will come. Pray.
Posted on April 12, 2016, in Book Related. Bookmark the permalink. 5 Comments.
Embrace The Infinite! 
Talking to the Creator in humility allows His great work to take place through us. “But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets…” (Dan. 2:28). Your post reminds me of George Washington Carver who prayed every morning (sometimes for 3-4 hours; an amazing man) and asked God to show him secrets about the universe. Carver reportedly said that each day he would ask, God would say ask for smaller…finally one day God told him “I’ll show you the secret of the peanut.” Carver saved a nation with the peanut. God revealed many more things to him as well. Carver always gave God the credit for his amazing discoveries. [Carver grew up in Missouri, my home state.]
It is incredible that the God of the Universe is willing and jealous for us to reach out to Him (James 4: 5-6)! His work through you at NASA is another amazing demonstration of the power of God revealing His secrets. Thanks for the great post!
Kelly,
Thanks for the wonderful comment. As “usual” for me, I would add that science suggests there are many reasons to be humble.
Praying clearly worked for Carver, but I would add that one should not pray too much. I have noted this in another post: don’t pray at the expense of learning. Don’t pray to the extent that you no longer rely on yourself to solve problems. It’s an odd thing, because I said prayer gets you in touch with your inner helplessness, and your need to rely on things other than yourself. I believe this makes prayer spiritually uplifting and rejuvenating, but you must also use that new energy to learn and to grow.
It is indeed something of a paradox, a paradox that (I believe) is created by God. There is a tension in our lives. Maybe that tension helps us to grow?
I agree. I believe that feelings of helplessness and the acknowledgement that only God can make things possible, is the platform needed to take steps of faith. Great innovations are rarely obtained in the first attempt. Prayer is that quiet space with the Creator to grow in faith to take steps in what we believe He is saying to us.
Prayer has taught me that even though He listens and responds; those responses often seem to include trial and hardship (the paradox of that tension). The tension seems to be refining, purifying, and strengthening if I don’t resist but follow His directives. Sometimes, it is a struggle because I want to react according to my own thoughts and needs but when I follow His example, I grow spiritually.
I’m sure science can provide some empirical support for why tension produces growth and how prayer energizes us to act. God has perfectly crafted everything, so His thumbprint is there somewhere 🙂 I have never searched the literature on these topics. I need to do that!
Fun fact…one thumbprint is Laminin, a glycoprotein, adhesion cell that schematically represented looks like a cross. Observed under the microscope it often keeps this shape. What is amazing to me is that in Colossians 1:17 we are reminded that “Jesus holds all things together.” Leave it to God to have His thumbprint in every detail!
Kelly, thanks for the interesting and informative comment!
Yes — tension. You are willing to accept it. I think that shows maturity and wisdom.
The world is not an easy place. It is God’s world, so if we are to connect with something higher, we don’t run from the tension but embrace it. Sometimes, one can feel overwhelmed. Prayer helps in those instances.
We should be extremely thankful, every day. Think about what our “ancestors” went through! I am often struck by how often we have needs to fill — the simple need of food. These days, we don’t give it much thought. But think about the days when humans were in the wild. We had to be constantly searching for food. That’s all that life was. Then agriculture was invented. What a change!
Let me throw in some science here. Scientifically, the truly bizarre thing is that we exist at all. There are so many more ways to have a world without life, than a world with life. That’s the entropy concept. “Entropy” means that the universe heads towards disorder. Entropy is always increasing, meaning the amount of disorder increases a little bit every day. Why does this happen? Because at the atomic level, there’s lots of randomness — molecules jiggling this way and that. Because of the randomness, matter will tend to fill those spaces that are empty. It will ooze and diffuse, increasing disorder. “Disorder” is the easy way: it means less structure, less uniqueness, more “blah”. Just think how different we are from that! We are all so unique. Many of us are full of energy and hope, with a desire to live well and to improve the world.
How can this be? Science has tried to explain it, but ultimately I believe it has failed. It’s still an open question. There should not even be a single planet with life, much less intelligent life.
The human journey has been to go against entropy and disorder, eventually rising out of a constant search for food, to a life with hope and meaning. How amazing is that!
My anecdote for the tension is gratitude. Yes, life is full of challenges. Also be aware of how blessed we are. Don’t be afraid of challenges.
Interesting post – Entropy is life without God; without the adhesive 🙂 in Christ mankind will continue in a trajectory toward entropy. In fact, I see that in the world today…wondering if even in a quest to be like God, we could destroy ourselves (e.g., CERN). Definitely, the life without a correct understanding of God or without acknowledgement of Him points the trajectory toward entropy. Trust, dependence on God, and thankfulness for the access to His mysteries is indeed key. He is the binding force for all things for now and forever (infinity).
I like your point such that it places Intelligent Design in clear sight!
I cannot withstand tension in my own strength but with power and enabling from God, even in tension, even in chaos, there is peace because He is personal and real in my life. It is amazing to me that God gave mankind an opportunity to choose Him, but many choose entropy.
Have a blessed weekend!