Trying to think, but nothing happens...

“The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound

thereof, but cants not tell from whence it cometh, and

wither it goeth: So is everyone that is born of the spirit.”

-   John 3:8; The Bible

It's early morning, and the desert air is crisp.  A great way to start the day, except, the screen is blank – my mind is blank, and the black letters on the white keys look more and more like the enemies of my soul!

Sitting behind a keyboard and hoping for a crease in the universe of inspirational thought is a lonely business. There are moments, to be sure when the tap flows freely and words take on a life of their own, coming so quickly, my fingers have difficulty keeping up with them. That would NOT be the case today. 

Oh, stream of consciousness, where art thou?

It has always been that way…a void in the creative process, trying to listen, seeking meaning – staring into the electronic void of my computer screen. An excellent metaphor for life.

What to do…what to do. The rule? Write, no matter what!

Working to write has made me wonder about the Creator of the universe. I wonder if He struggled while stroking the blueprint for life on His cosmic keyboard.  Did the plan for all that is come fully formed or in fits and starts? Did the ideas flow with such consistency that from the beginning, there was never a doubt?

It seems so brilliantly clear in the opening lines of Genesis.

 "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was without form and void. And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters, and God said, ‘Let there be light, and there was light.'" (Genesis 1:1-3)

Here, at the creative juncture of the universe, He said, “…Let there be light.” I’m not sure how many times he wondered whether the inspiration would come, nor how frequently the celestial computer screen remained blank, fingers frozen on the keyboard as he worked to write the recipe for life. When that inspiration came, it is not clear how it was operationalized, but when he said it, there it was. 

I accept the premise there is a Creator, a first mover, an intelligence I do not understand, but cannot deny. To me, the elegance and interactive complexity of the natural world are so awe-inspiring and ordered, it defies the belief that all of this could have happened by accident. How the heavenly programmer could keep any of the code straight and provide conscious thought is so far above my pay grade it resists comprehension. As the Roman Catholic scholar Thomas Aquinas suggested, what he didn't understand, he called God. Precisely what I was thinking!!

My sense of wonder has nothing to do with religious belief. Instead, it has to do with the astonishingly consistent systems within which we live. Physical laws springing from intrinsic, rational guidelines, bring order to our personal and collective lives. In that context, it seems the first few verses of Genesis give but a modest overview. And like simplistic summaries, we are left with the ‘what' but not the ‘how.'

It's always the back story that broadens our understanding. Since we have none, we are left to discover it through scientific inquiry and observation. Paul provided insight into this in the book of Romans when he said, 

“The invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made.” (Romans 1:20)

The more we observe and study nature and all its iterations – plant and animal, the more significant our opportunity to understand the creative intelligence of the universe.

Returning to the first chapter of Genesis, the scripture says God made humankind (male and female) in His image. Those who say nothing comes from nothing, miss the point. It is self-evident we create substance out of nothing more than thought. We do it all the time. Is this so different than the Genesis account?

What, by the way, is thought. Like so many things, we have never seen one – we also have never seen gravity, nor electricity, nor love, nor a host of things that operationalize our daily lives. Of course, we see results, but the ideas, the concepts themselves? Nope, so far, nada.

In the end (or is it the beginning), it is self-evident, constructs in our minds translate into all of humanity's physical works. The power of thought, like the creation of the universe, is incomprehensible. All we see is the result. Beliefs limit us or free us. Knowing this leads to intentional decisions that move us either forward or backward.

All of which brings me back to what began as an empty page, producing little except a note or two reflecting the awe I feel, and the conscious recognition that an empty screen, empty mind, and fingers frozen at the keyboard is awesome in itself.

Ah, well…there is always next week and hope springs eternal. After all, moving from zero to one is the most significant increment of all.

­

‑ ted