Beauty

The wind blows at 200 mph nearly constantly. It is dark more often than not. The temperatures rarely rise above freezing. It is the driest, coldest, most uninhabitable place on Earth. The continent that no one may claim for his own, where all nations have a right to belong, where penguins and seals are the only aborigines, is Antarctica. Antarctica would seem to most to be a forgotten wasteland of no use, but looking deeper one finds that it is a very important part of our planet. Research is going on there that looks into tiny atoms frozen in the ice from thousands of years ago. Water is frozen in icecaps, glaciers and icebergs, that if melted would flood much of the world. There is even beauty on Antarctica. The tsunami of 2004 was recorded there as icebergs moved and twisted with the impact causing a song of sorrow to be sung by the Earth itself. Plants grow part of the year, animals breed and raise their young, a volcano steams and hisses its warnings. It is not a wasteland after all. A friend of mine lost her sister this week to ALS. The sister struggled for years to continue living a life worthy to be called "life". As this disease grabbed hold of more and more of her abilities and strength, the sister wondered if she still mattered, if she still had any worth. I went to her memorial service yesterday. There were so many people there that they overflowed the room. The parking lot had to be extended to the front yard, and afterward it was tight squeezing through doorways and hallways as so many people talked and visited. She had affected people in the work world, her neighborhood, her church, and most recently in cyberspace. Even as she lay in bed destroyed by ALS, presumed by most to be a dark, forgotten wasteland, she showed her importance to the rest of the world. Hundreds of people were connected to her through her struggle with death and life. Just like Antarctica she had many qualities that made her needed here on Earth. It is so easy to look at your own life and only see the small picture. You can't see the people who would drown if you let go of your frozen waters. You can't know how an earthquake or tsunami that someone experiences may be noticed by you. The small moments of beauty in your life may be the only chance for survival that some young penguin has. God created His world with so many intricacies connecting it in important ways. Antarctica may look unimportant, undeserving, unworthy of our attention, but God gave it much importance and did not forget that it was needed, too. It is that way with each of us. God made each one of us to make a difference to those around us. We all need each other to survive, to enjoy this world, to be safe and comforted. If your life is looking dark, feeling cold, and the wind is blowing you over, remember that God made this time and place as well. Stand strong in the knowledge that you do make a difference. "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good." 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 Use what God gave you to serve the common good, and don't ever forget that beauty shines brighter in darkness.