Wisdom in the Balance

I have come to believe that wisdom resides in the balance of knowing this: 

(1) I am unique and wonderfully made.

(2) So is everything else in the universe.

Psalm 111 proclaims, “Great are the works of the Lord,” and that includes humans! We are a complex symphony of differentiated cells with their own specialized tasks that work in concert with every other cell in the body to pump blood and oxygen, transmit electrical impulses, process food and stimuli, create new cells, and eliminate waste. As Maria Popova states, “…even the smallest and most invisible of these processes, phenomena, and laws are not trifles but condensed miracles….” That’s what each of us is: a walking condensed miracle. Furthermore, although the same biological and chemical processes are at work in every human, no two humans are exactly alike in how they experience and choose to respond to the wonder of being. There’s no doubt about it: humans are awesome. Appreciation of the wonder of our bodies and the love we receive from our Creator is one aspect of wisdom.

Lest we let our awesomeness infect us with pride and a sense of superiority and entitlement, Psalm 147 reminds us, “God counts out the number of stars, and calls each one by its name.” It appears that God also has an intimate relationship with other the other forms of life that God has created, including stars and plants and animals. It is humbling to consider the vastness of the universe and realize, as Ella Frances Sanders puts it, “just how indisputably tiny we are in the grand scheme of things.”

Thus, in the balance between the aplomb that results from knowing we are a condensed miracle and the humility of understanding that everything else in the universe is miraculous as well, we find wisdom, which leads to gratitude, wonder, joy, and reverence for all creation. That is, the good life—not just for us but for all the other tiny bits of creation that dwell in the heart of God.