Daily Devotion:

Title: Almost Infinitesimal

Date: January 16, 2013

How big are you standing under a starry sky? If you are far, far away from city lights, outside in the open air, under the widespread night sky of twenty-three-septillion stars and twenty-three-septillion galaxies, each with twenty-three-septillion stars of all colors, a thrill of awe will run down your back as you measure your truest size – almost infinitesimal.

Humility is in part about perspective. How big am I on my inside when I compare myself with the outside of others? A friend met a rock star. She was humbled. He was not. She was in the orchestra pit in front of the stage. He finally looked at her for a moment. She was thrilled. He moved on. He looked at others. She was just one among the millions. He is one in a million. He is a star. She was star-struck.

Our star is small star as stars go. Humans used to worship that star. They were star-struck. We still get star-struck.

Humility is about inner and outer perspective. It is a question of scale. It is unhelpful to ask how big am I compared to the rock star. Rather, ask how big is the rock star compared to the universe observed on a starry night, and how enormous is the starry night compared to infinite God? 

Let’s Pray: Immeasurable God, when seeing Your universe at night, we measure the size of our humanity, of our human equality in created matter as we are awed by the immensity of Your boundless beauty. Amen.

Here’s a Thought: How do you measure yourself?

Sources:

Job 38:1-41
James 4:10