Real Hope: The Wonder of the Lord's CreationShembull

Look Up

‘Neri,’ he said. ‘You should go for a walk; it will help.’

‘What’s a walk going to do?’ I shot back, the heavy feelings of disappointment and pain fuelling my indignation.

‘It’s going to get you to look up at the sky and remind you that God is bigger than what you’re feeling, and He is in control. Plus, science has proved that it’s good for your mental health; the sky literally makes us feel better.’

I begrudgingly went for that walk and found that my friend wasn’t wrong on both points. The walk did indeed make me look up at the sky and remind me of how big God is. And as it turns out, science has shown that the colour blue significantly impacts our psychological state, helping us feel a greater sense of peace.

And as we know, the sky isn’t a blue dome encircling the earth. Rather what we see as blue is actually light. As light passes through our atmosphere, tiny air molecules cause it to scatter, decreasing the wavelength of light. Blue has the shortest wavelength, which is why the sky appears blue.

The sky speaks of the kindness of God first, that He would design us with the need to look up, to lift our eyes to a greater expanse than us and our problems. Secondly, that He would make it blue, a colour that stimulates peace within us. And finally, what we see as the sky is light, the very thing God is.

Have you looked up lately?

Written by NERI MORRIS