That moment you realise, He holds the world in the palm of his hand

My daughter was making a planet model for school, and that meant one thing- I had homework! In education circles, we call it 'parental involvement'. Children whose parents are an active participant in their learning process do better in school. It's been proven.

My children always have the best models and projects at school, because their mommy has a creative eye, and has studied Early Childhood Education. My daughter was excited, she already anticipated the best solar system model her classmates had ever seen.

The foam balls were bought, the wires were ready, the base for the sun was firm, the paints were bright and bushy tailed, and the idea to make this model was set. It would be 3d, the sun would rest on wooden stand and the wires would connect the foam balls and then be connect to the sun somehow. We didn't quite work out all the logistics- but we knew it would be epic. My daughter and I.

Turns out our best laid plans went awry. *Queue the wonk wonk soundtrack now*

The sun was painted in gold, and was stuck right down on it's base. The other foam balls were painted and Saturn had its glorious silver and gold rings. We put the wires through all the balls and now it was time for the balls to be assembled for their revolution around the Sun- only that didn't happen. The first ring went around just fine, but as the circles around the Sun got wider, it all started to fall apart; the wire couldn't support the weight, neither could the foam balls and neither could the base. Epic fail.

I was stumped, that has never happened! My daughter was worried. Her project was due the next day. I had no solution. I tried, I really tried.

We had a conversation some days earlier about the planets, I asked,
"Well how do these planets stay up there and not just fall from the sky?"
She laughed at me.
"Mother, she said, in a most pitiful tone, " The gravity of the sun keeps them from falling."
"They spin around so that we can have night and day and seasons too."
I asked her just this- "How come some planets have more than one moon, if the  moon is a reflection of the Sun, and there's only one Sun?"
And how come the Bible says He made 2 great lights, one to rule the day, the lesser light to rule the night but we learn the moon doesn't have it's own light?"

Her pre- tween eyes looked puzzled - she engaged her brain, then said " Well I don't know, we haven't learned that yet!"

Oh! The gravity of it all!

In Jamaica we have a saying " Two heads better than one', which means, if two persons come together to solve a problem, it stands a greater chance of getting solved because the two might have different perspectives and outlooks. In this case - My daughter and I, well, as we say again..'didn't even make one.' We consulted grandma, that was three heads- still nothing!

As I looked at my inadequacy through the failed model, all I could think is

"How great thou art!"

Yes, the model had a design flaw, and someone more technically sound in mind probably could have made it all work out with a wider base and heavier wires, but God- oh but God is a masterful craftsman.

The bible tells me He made all things in the earth, seen and unseen - it never said He tried more than once. He just released a Word and it was done. He needed no do-overs, He needed no consultant. He took no advice.

Isaiah 40 vs. 13-14 says, 'Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him? 14. With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?

One word answer- nobody!

I needed to write a note to my daughter's teacher, her model would be late while I slept off my disappointment and rethought the concept.

Exactly a week after my daughter's solar model flop, there was a Super moon lunar eclipse; the blood moon, the last on of three this year alone. It just brought everything I had gone through the week before into perspective. I had missed all the other red moons, but this one was spectacular, and the best part, my daughter was actually interested to see it, because she was learning about the planets. Mostly, she was learning what scientists think they know, for much of what is written about the solar system are assumptions. You can read all about what Astronomers think they know here.

As for me and my house, we believe the accounts of Genesis.

The operation of the solar system is fascinating, all the planets orbiting around a gigantic sun, each at their own speed, seemingly held up and around by nothingness. The earth, the third largest of the planets, the only one that supports all life, spins at a tilt, around the Sun, creating night, day and seasons.

The very nature of things reflects the nature of God. He is precise. Orderly. Timely. Methodical. Meticulous. Artistic. Mysterious. Wonderfully Awesome...And at the center of it all. The gravity that holds everything in place. The Son!


 Psalm 24:1 says The earth and the fullness thereof is the Lord's and the fullness thereof; the world and they that dwell within.

One day late, my daughter handed in her solar system model,albeit, totally different from what we both had envisioned. She told me that all her classmates were excited to see her model because they all said, she always brought in the best projects. This time though, it was just okay, but more importantly, we had done it together. My daughter and I.

 

Our model needed not be perfect, perfection was already done!

Related Scriptures: Genesis 1-2, Deuteronomy 10:14


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Photo credit: The blood moon eclipse stages by : Joel Finnigen Photography and you can find his gorgeous work here

The solar system model- can't you already tell, I took that with a camera attached to a phone! - At least I got some light shinning on the sun! How cool am I?