The other day while I was slicing strawberries over our breakfast cereal, the thought struck me. These were big red, beautiful strawberries and I had to fight off the temptation to gobble them down immediately. Why did God make these beautiful things?
I have not been able to get this and similar thoughts to go away. I gaze at my beautiful wife and am still stricken with awe. I pick up a cup of fresh ground coffee and the aroma has my taste buds doing their warm-up exercises before a drop touches my lips. Why did God make her so beautiful? Why did He make coffee so fragrant?
Then on top of these thoughts come additional questions: How would the evolutionist and atheist explain them? What would Richard Dawkins say? I’m sure they could come up with some explanations, usually having to do with reproduction and “gene survival”; or that a taste for beauty is a matter of conditioning. After all, not everyone likes strawberries or coffee (though I can’t imagine anyone disagreeing with me regarding Uni’s beauty)!
Yeah, sure! But somehow these interpretations, even if they may contain some elements of truth, seem a bit hollow. The whole is more than simply the sum of its parts!
Paul speaks to Timothy of “God who grants to us all things richly for (our) enjoyment” (1 Timothy 6:17).
And the Psalmist, in praising the LORD for all of creation tells us that, “He makes the grass to grow for the cattle, and vegetation for man’s labor … wine that makes man’s heart happy … and bread which sustains man’s heart” (Psalm 104:14, 15). Not only does God provide for our needs, but apparently also for our pleasure. Wine – and coffee? – are apparently given by God just to make us feel good!
The materialist must dissect everything in order to force it into his preconceived idea that everything fits somehow into the evolutionary chain. Beauty -- even love -- must have some observable explanation.
The person of faith, however, sees these as evidence for the existence of God. And not just “a god,” but a kind, benevolent God, who gives us some things just for our enjoyment – like strawberries.
Also see WHAT DID QOHELET MEAN? (10/27/2007)
Bill Ball
7/27/2009
3 comments:
hai, it's very nice to see you, i love this post
greeting from me
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you need to read "Notes from the Tilt a Whirl" by ND Wilson.
Addresses similar musings.
I love this post and couldn't agree more! I would just use the example of cats instead! :-)
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