Monday 11/9/2015 4:23 AM
My psalm for the week is Psalm 148, a call to praise. But
the call to praise is not just to humankind, it is to the whole creation.
“Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, you
highest heavens and you waters above the skies. … Praise the Lord from the
earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow
and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, you mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creature and
flying birds.”
Because I am a mathematician, when I am out in the middle
of creation I see the patterns of self-similarity in the clouds and mountain
ranges. I see the contour lines and gradient vectors when hiking along a
mountain trail. I notice that nature operates in the most efficient ways
possible and stand amazed. I love to try to point this out to others.
Unfortunately too often those attempts fall short because many are not
conversant in the language of mathematics, through which creation speaks to me.
Today I read an excerpt from John Mogabgab that encourages
me to keep trying to communicate that mathematical beauty to others. He writes,
“…early Christian writers had identified profound inner stillness as a
condition of understanding the mysteries of God hidden in creation and
communicating these with wisdom to others. Such understanding and communication
are essential aspects of our stewardship as we seek ways of interpreting God’s
design for creation to a world impaired in its ability to listen.” I pray that I will not become discouraged in pointing out the beauty.
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