..:: let there be light ::..

Have you ever considered the complexities in the semblant “simplicities” of the world around you?

I’m afraid that most of us take for granted the incredibly intricate and complex design of the nature that our creator allows us to live in.

Take for example the simple yet miraculous concept of vision and light.

The complexities of the human eye and the behind the scenes processes that make vision possible are mind boggling in and of themselves and, in my opinion, provide irrefutable evidence that God exists. But what about the light spectrum itself?... the remarkable element of nature which gives us the ability to see things in the first place.

Many people fail to realize what a miracle the concept of light is. I can’t even begin to explain in this short post, all the complexities of how light works. Like how it can have both wave properties and particle properties… how it possesses mass when it travels which disappears when it stops, (allowing it to produce electricity from certain crystals and travel through a vacuum)… how it is one of the earths greatest and most enduring sources of energy… or how it serves as a catalyst which sparks life into a tiny seed and gives it the power to grow into a hearty plant which produces fruits and vegetables - the very foundation of our entire food chain.

Moreover, consider all the brilliant colors that we take for granted everyday? Did you ever wonder why you are able to see different colors? Humans are able to see colors, because our eyes have special structures called cones which allow us to differentiate between different light energies -- most animals do not possess this ability (outside of a select few such as birds, some insects, and apes). You and I are able to see different colors because light has different energies -- red light being of a lower energy than blue. The cone in your eye membrane is able to differentiate between these varying light energies and thus interpret different colors to your brain. The beauty of our world can be seen because of the different energies present in the light that surrounds us.

Amazing as light and human vision is, the invisible aspects of the light spectrum might be even more impressive yet...

The spectrum of light goes way beyond what your eyes are able to see. The full spectrum of light includes things such as radio waves, x-rays, infra-red… even music is a form of light.

The reason our eyes are not able to “see” things like music, or radio waves is because these “light waves” have a much lower energy level than what our eye is able to perceive. This lower energy allows radio waves to pass through things like the walls of our homes which visible light cannot do. That is why you are able to turn on electronic receivers inside your home and pick-up the radio waves that enable your televisions and radios to play sounds and images.

Microwaves are also a form of light -- again outside of our ability to see. These micro-waves cause water molecules within an object to pick up energy without changing anything else within the object. This allows us to cook our food, and pop our movie-snack popcorn.

X-rays are an even higher form of light energy which is beyond the realm of what our eyes can see. The energy in X-rays allows them to pass through our bodies and show us things we cannot see with our naked eyes alone. Infra-red light rays heat things up… ultraviolet light rays allow us to tan our skin and provide our bodies with life and health, and still other forms of very long light waves can be used for communication purposes.

Part of me thinks it would be awesome to be able to actually see with my eyes what some of my favorite music would look like, or to see through walls with infra-red vision. But God in his infinite wisdom has sheltered our eyes from these extremities in the spectrum of light. If our eyes could receive all of the light that exists around us, it would be impossible for us to find any peace. Even with our eyes closed, we would see a jumble of light waves piercing our eyes all of the time, including radio, TV, X-rays, microwaves, etc.

Isn’t it awesome how God created the human eye to only be perceptive to the band of light rays that allows us to see things and distinguish colors, etc. He also created our ears to pick up on the lower energy light rays which allow us to hear voices, music and the ambient sounds of nature.

When the Creator said, "Let there be light," it was a powerful statement and the start of a truly remarkable creation which sustains the entire physical cosmos in which we all live.

Praise God…the light of this world and the one to come!