Daring

 

The huge parachute which cushioned the drop to Mars of NASA’s scientific rover was red and white. It carried a binary message, a quote from Teddy Roosevelt. Dare Mighty Things. And co-ordinates to the launch site in Pasadena, CA.

I could have stared at the pretty red and white parachute and never realised that a message was embedded there. It is a message which requires knowledge in order to decipher it.

The letter to the Romans says that God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen since the creation of the world. They are understood from what has been made. The heavens declare the glory of God. His attention to beauty and diversity is everywhere. And his is not a message conveyed in an esoteric code which only a few can read. There was a thought in the early church that one needed secret knowledge in order to be saved. No. Jesus said he is the Saviour, the truth, the light, the way. We only need to know him.

During this pandemic, I’ve read again and again that nature is healing. That spending time walking in a wood or by a stream or appreciating flowers or bees brings blessing and calm to the worried spirit.

May you meet with our loving Creator God today, wherever you immerse yourself. No prior knowledge required. Just an open heart ready to receive his love.

Dare Mighty Things.