Lessons from a Peppercorn

Recently, my homeschooling group completed a fascinating experiment.  We made a large model of the solar system.  Using  items which were roughly scaled to the planets in our solar system, we placed each planet in it's relative distance from each other.  See www.noac.edu/education/peppercorn/pcmain.html for a detailed explanation of the experiment.  The sun was a basketball, mercury was a pinhead, earth was a peppercorn, Jupiter was the size of a ball that could fit in your hand, and so on. 

So earth was a peppercorn.  It is extremely small in relation to the sun(the basketball), but especially in relation to the galaxy, and seemingly insignificant in comparison to the rest of the Universe.

In our experiment, we placed our earth on the ground and continued measuring the distances between each planet and placing them on the ground until we got to the end of our "mock solar system".  If we had enough land to do the experiment properly we would have been a little less than 1000 yards from the peppercorn.  From that distance, there was no way the earth(the peppercorn) could be seen.  We couldn't even see the our sun (the basketball). 

Now consider this:  Our solar system, which consists of the sun and the 9 planets which surround the sun is only is just one of billions of stars in the Milky Way Galaxy.  The Milky Way, our galaxy, is only one of 100's of  billions of galaxies in our universe that have been discovered.  Who knows how many more we haven't discovered. 

Ok, now back to the peppercorn.  That little peppercorn sat in a solar solar system ( a field) over a half mile long.  Now take that field and multiply it times a billion solar systems to get our Milky way galaxy.  That would be half a billion miles.  I have no idea what that looks like, but it's REALLY big.  That would represent the Milky Way galaxy.  Compare the peppercorn to 1/2 billion miles of distance.  That peppercorn is getting more and more insignificant.   Now let's multiply our galaxy times 100 billion or more.  Now that's where my math stops.  My mind cannot fathom how big that is.  But this is certain, the  peppercorn pretty much disappears off the radar at this point.  It's almost "non-existent" in the scheme of our "mock" universe.

Think about it.  Do you care about a peppercorn that I laid on the ground in the middle of a field in Texas?  What affect could that little peppercorn have on anything?  (Perhaps a little bug might be in for a hot surprise!)

The peppercorn we live on is called earth.  And though this little planet seems to have no significance in the grand scheme of the Universe, the Creator placed His most precious possessions here--mankind.  And the most mind boggling of ALL, the Creator of this vast Universe somehow condescended himself low enough to come to the little peppercorn as one of us to live.  How could this Maker of billions of Gaxlaxies--which implies He is infinitely bigger than even the Universe, somehow shrink down to fit on our little peppercorn earth?

My answer:  I have NO idea, but He did.

Why?  Because of His great love for the people on the peppercorn.  And someday He promises to live forever on the peppercorn with us.  The Sovereign Lord of the Universe, could be anywhere or do anything and He chooses to live with us on the peppercorn.  He even calls us His treasure and says he is our treasure.  That doesn't sound like an even exchange, does it?Yet He delights in giving us Himself.

Now that I have your attention, let me take you one step farther.  This Sovereign Creator knows and loves you.  He knows exactly how many strands of hair you have.  He knows you intimately through and through.  He is orchestrating the events of your life as well as the entire Universe perfectly.  That gives some perspective on why we don't always understand why He allows certain things to happen, or why we can't see what he's doing FULLY.  Peppercorn dwellers have a very limited view!  And yet to those who will  trust Him and bow down to Him, He gives glimpses beyond the peppercorn, the galaxy and even farther.  He gives us a glimpse into His very mind!

There's so much to learn from a peppercorn.  I know I'll never look at another peppercorn the same again.

From one peppercorn dweller to another.