Windows, People and Insects
When I was a boy, my mother knew to check my pockets before tossing my dirty jeans into her washing machine. Insects and spiders were of special interest to me and I might save one in a pocket. The interest remains to this day. When I went to India for the first time in 2018, I went prepared with insect repellant. I never used it. I saw very few insects, so the few I saw I carefully captured using my iPhone camera. One of the pictures is an edible locust and the other is a non-hopping detestable. More on that later…
The people of India were the most interesting and blessed part of our time in Dehradun. At first it was hard for me to pronounce some of the names, and even today I think twice about how to say one pastor’s name. While some names were repeated, there are amazing differences in each person I met. These differences made them look like no one else I met. Each of their voices was unique as well. They all, however, had a similar design. It isn’t surprising that they would all have legs and arms by design. Their arms and legs functioned like mine.
We also mirror that approach in the things we design and build. For vehicles, we use similar designs for different types of transportation. Some are designed to carry items, some for carrying a person or multiple people and cargo. Some have two wheels; some have four and others have even more. But a common theme for land-based vehicles is wheels that turn. The wheels may be different in relative size and strength, but by design, they all accomplish a similar task.
When I look at the picture of the window, I photographed at the retreat center in India, I don’t marvel at how that came into being without a designer and builder. I assume, by looking at the organization and components that someone many years ago looked at a pattern and set to work cutting the pieces and assembling them. They copied other ideas or windows they had already done or that others had created. I don’t marvel that the window happened to be because I know there was a craftsman. I marvel at the skill, beauty and symmetry of the design. I realize there are good reasons to duplicate a similar design.
Here are the two insects I captured on my first trip to India. Note the Creator’s use of similar design elements. Both have six appendages for motion, both have wings, both have antenna and mouths. But one has a modification for hopping. The other does not. I find it most interesting that God even gave his people dietary instructions about insects. Some were to be detestable and others could be eaten. The hoppers could be eaten, the crawling bugs were detestable. I don’t really think I would care to eat either type. But God’s design amazes me and his reuse of similar types of parts seems most efficient and speaks to his wisdom in creating many different working parts and then adjusting all of them to fit the intended creation. Although I marveled when I found insects when I was a boy, and now I marvel even more.
Do you have a favorite insect? I’m partial to the butterfly. The butterfly is another amazing multistage design miracle crafted by God’s mighty hand.
Know Your Flocks & Herds 