Exploring the Heavens

 

 

  ¹The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. ²Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge.
³There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard;
⁴yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.
 Ps. 19

Commander Chris Hadfield in my hero, or at least one of them. This Canadian who is currently commanding the International Space Station has probably done more to help the peoples of planet Earth understand the workings of space travel than any other astronaut. His willingness to interact with earthlings, including school kids, along with his tweets and photos are truly remarkable. Somehow he does all this in the midst of the scientific work he must do daily and the regimen of keeping fit in space. I have retweeted many of those breathtaking photos and enjoy his rather poetic "take" on what he sees. Apparently others do as well, given that he has over 700,000 Twitter followers.


It is quite sobering to realize that this brave, resourceful man is in many respects a child splashing in the shallows of space. Relative to the vast expanses beyond him he has hardly left home. I do not in any way intend to be disparaging, because I can't imagine the courage and resolve it takes to do what Chris Hadfield is doing. It's just that he is pointing out how finite we are in the greater scheme of things. We may scurry about as though we are important but his exploits point out how limited our existence is.

Which is okay, don't you think? Through the years of canoe tripping I often looked upward at the night sky and was exhilarated by my "speckyness." I still felt loved by the God who knows me by name. And the remarkable reality of my existence in a vast universe somehow did and does deepen my faith.

My thanks to Commander Hadfield for what he is accomplishing. Sure he is a little delusional as a Leafs fan, but many of us are. What are your thoughts about his mission? Are you comfortable with being a speck in the grand scheme of things?