YOU

YOU

{ This section is a 12 minute read } 

But Not Alone

{I was standing in the office of a textile plant in September of 1980 at Hope Mills, N.C. waiting to apply for a job. While waiting, I pencil copied the words below from a poster in the hall. I did not get the job, but I don’t feel that I went away empty. The pencil copy is lying here beside me, 30 years later}

ALONE

Alone you stood before God when you were called;

Alone you had to answer that call

Alone you had to struggle and pray;

Alone you will die and give account to God.

You cannot escape from yourself;

For God has singled you out.

Dietrich Bonheoffer—German Theologian

JUST LIKE YOU

For ages God has waited for some- one just like you,

And you are fitted for a work that only you can do;

So you’re God’s opportunity—called for this special time,

And you must live for God alone and make your life sublime.

Since you’re God’s opportunity in this your special day,

If you, perhaps, now fail Him, what will happen then, I pray?

To God’s chance to do the work He planned, through you, to do,

For earth will never see another person just like you.

Adlai Albert Este [sic]
 Carve your name high over the shifting sands,

Where the steadfast rocks defy decay:

All you hold in your cold dead hand,

Is what you have given away.

(Author unknown to me)

The Great Mystery of You   A Bible writer wondered and said, "I often think of the heavens your hands have made, and the moon and stars you put in place. Then I ask, "Why do you care about us humans?" Psalm 8:3-4 CEV*. Part of the answer to the Bible writer's question is found in one of the greatest wonders on this planet---which is, how unique you are. You are absolutely one-of-a-kind, there are no doubles, no clones. The rule of excess production that produces many extras in the animal kingdom so that a few can survive does not apply to humans. Of the seventy-five billion people who have been born on this planet, we can safely say no duplicates were made because what has been discovered about the laws of genetics. Scientists say that there is only one chance in seventy-trillion of another person being physically exactly like you, excluding identical twins. An enormous amount of dried beans will help illustrate this point. First, imagine you are standing in front of a huge sack of dried navy beans. The sack is four feet across and seven miles high. Suppose that each bean contained a complete set of blueprints to make one person like you. These plans would include your sex, whether you would be big boned or small, the size of your brain, your race, eye and hair color plus everything else that together makes you a human being. Each bean in the giant bag would represent a different set of plans---and all seventy trillion of them are in the bag. Now, imagine the beans spilled into a giant pile. A bean pile three miles square and six feet deep contains seventy trillion beans. Next, go stand in the middle of the pile and survey the sea of beans all around you. Six feet deep and over a mile and a half in every direction. These beans represent the different genetic combinations possible from the gene pool of the human family. Every bean represents a unique person. Every bean is different from the one beside it. No two are alike. It is estimated that only one thousandth of the genetic combinations have been used up since the beginning of life on this planet. This means there are blueprints in this giant bean pile for every person who has ever lived and enough left over to populate one thousand more planets like earth! You are one-of-a-kind. This great mystery of your individuality is a clear cut evidence of a Creator God at work making people one person at a time. In wonder the Psalmist wrote, "...I praise you because of the wonderful way you created me. Everything you do is marvelous! Of this I have no doubt." Psalm 139:14 CEV. Two Thumbs Up for Special Gifts When compared to the rest of the living inhabitants of this planet, humans have one striking difference and advantage. Your brain sets you apart. Nearly half of all species of animals have no brain at all. Those that do have some sort of brain are no match for the superior ability of people to think, memorize and use the imagination. Scientists have developed a method for predicting intelligence by comparing the weight of the spinal cord to the brain. They have found that lower animals have brains weighing two to four times as much as their spinal cords. In more complex animals, such as apes, the brain weighed nearly fifteen times as much as the spinal cord. However, the astounding fact is that a man's brain is fifty-five times heavier than his spinal cord! I would say more, but you can figure it out. Another gift that humans have are thumbs---they're special. Opposable thumbs and highly developed hands connected to superior brain power are advantages humans do not share with animals. The ability to delicately oppose every finger with the thumb makes it possible to develop the highly the specialized hands of a surgeon or just be an ordinary person turning the pages of a book. Study for Yourself: We see Jesus at the Creation ________________________________ John 1:3, "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." The Apostle Paul speaks of Jesus and Creation: _____________ _________________________________________________ Colossians 1:16, "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that in earth, visible and invisible..." The writer of Hebrews speaks of Jesus as Creator ____________ ____________________________________________________________ Hebrews 1:2, "He hath in these last day spoken unto us by his Son, who he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;" Concluding Thought The Holy Bible makes it clear that Jesus made you special. Jesus said, "Aren't two sparrows sold for only a penny? But your Father knows when any one of them falls to the ground. Even the hairs on your head are counted. So don't be afraid! You are worth much more than many sparrows. Matthew 10:29-31 CEV. You are a step of Creation higher than the animal kingdom. There are not 10,000 clones of you, made with the hope that one might survive. Considering all these things, will you trust your Creator to take control of your life and re-create you with a new attitude, a new outlook and a new life? The choice is yours because you were created with the power to make it. Having a wonderful life is making the choice? Will you do it today? o