Wondrous Patterns

Puzzling images from deep space leave me confused, hungry for understanding. All this information, truth in infrared spectrum, is too much for my brain to envelop, so I step outside to breathe. Immediate relief. Sunbeams warm my shoulders as I garden, and the arresting vibrance of purple petunias strike my retinas with familiarity. A goldfinch alights on a spiral of gloss-black sunflower seeds, flicking shells to the ground. The shadows lengthen as I stroll the path, earth gliding and me riding in its elliptical course around the sun. Every bit of this bears the Maker’s mark; the visible patterns in architecture, growth, and motion, dancing and spinning to a harmonic sound, which can be described mathematically.

I don’t pretend to understand at all, and I certainly don’t speak the language of mathematics. But as an artist, I understand artistry; as a gardener, I adore the glorias sung by each ounce of matter, each force in nature. This child of God and follower of Christ is grateful for the truth intrinsic to and indelibly written in all we know and experience. Even ourselves! And with my mind and mouth, such as they are, I can declare the ineffable, incalculable, unconditional love of God.

Evident for all to see is a ratio of design perfection, a “divine proportion” in all creation, also called the golden ratio or golden mean. It underpins shapes and systems and what nearly universally is considered to exemplify beauty, efficiency, effectiveness. This is the ultimate goal in design and engineering. Explore God’s beauty in creation today.

Lord God, I praise you for who you are, what you have made, and your faithfulness to all people and all things. Amen.