I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous,
your handmade sky-jewelry,
Moon and stars mounted in their settings.
Then I look at my micro-self and wonder,
Why do you bother with me?
Why take a second look my way?
Psalm 8:1-4

Nonetheless, it’s a preposterous question, don’t you think? Of course, you know who you are!

Or, do you? Consider the following.

It was a clear, cloudless night. The sheep were peacefully lying on the hillside. David rested his head on a hump of grass. He gazed at the “handmade sky-jewelry, moon, and stars mounted in their settings. 

The grandeur prompted this question: “I look at my micro-self and wondered, who am I that the Creator of this vast expanse would bother with me?”

WHO AM I?

When Galileo first turned a spyglass to the heavens in 1610, he had trouble making out the rings of Saturn that are visible through an inexpensive telescope today. Advances in optics improved scientists’ views of the planets, stars, and distant galaxies. But earth’s atmosphere still blocked much of the light for observers on the ground. Larger telescopes were (and still are) placed on high mountains, where thinner atmospheres allowed clearer pictures.

In 1923, German scientist Hermann Oberth first suggested that a telescope could be launched into orbit to help overcome the distortions caused by the atmosphere. As rocket launchings became more commonplace, the idea became feasible. In 1969 approval was given for the launch of a Large Space Telescope.

Soon, we discovered that Saturn (sorry, Galileo) had rings. Jupiter had moons. That nebulous patch across the center of the sky called the Milky Way was not a cloud but a collection of countless stars. Within but a few years, our notion of the universe dramatically changed. However, that was but a small beginning!

Launched in 1990 the Hubble Space Telescope can see a distance of several billions of light-years. A light-year is the distance light travels in 1 year. Since light has a speed of 186,000 miles per second (light can travel about 7 times around the entire earth in 1 second!), it travels about 5,865,696,000,000 miles in a year. The farthest Hubble has seen, so far, is about 10-15 billion light-years away. It’s called the “Hubble Deep Field”. (Cool Cosmos)

Of course, “I know who I am!”

For all of human history, scientists thought they “knew” the universe. But, they didn’t! (Most likely they never will!)

What if that’s the case for YOU … for every human being? 

What if, like David, our vision of who WE are is extremely limited.

What if, like Galileo, you have trouble seeing YOU! 

What if, as Hermann Oberth suggested, there’s an “atmosphere” that distorts everything about US?

What if, as Hubble discovered, there are “Deep Fields” in all of US?

And, perish the thought! What if there are “Black Holes”  in YOU and ME?