Have you ever wondered, “Where in the world we are?” Or maybe a more relevant question is, “Where in this galaxy are we, knowing there are billions of galaxies that exist?”
Now there are probably not too many folks thinking about these kinds of questions in the midst of many more practical ones to ponder. However, when I reflected on all the billions and billions of snowflakes just the other day, and knowing there are no two snowflakes exactly alike, I began thinking about the billions and billions of galaxies and where my little self is located in them.
Well, if you have ever looked at the Milky Way on a very clear night (although we cannot actually see the entire Milky Way with the naked eye . . . it is far too massive) or viewed the incredible photos taken by the Hubble telescope, you may be a bit surprised to know that our marvelous planet, Earth, is at the far reaches toward an end spiral of the Milky Way. Astronomers estimate the stars in our Milky Way galaxy number about 400 billion, give or take a few. 🙂
I think about how seemingly insignificant our planet’s place is in our galaxy, not to mention the entire cosmos, and yet how life-giving our Earth is to each of us. Because of this “insignificant” beautiful blue planet we call Earth, we are able to breathe, and live, and love. Physicists tell us that if our planet was trillionths of a degree off its gravitational pull, it would not exist as a living planet; it would not be able to sustain life as we know it.
So I ask myself:
Do we see ourselves as the center of our universe or as insignificant? Do we wonder if we are making a difference in the world? Do we even know and appreciate our own gifts?
May I invite you, in the midst of your busy day, to reflect and rejoice in the fact that you are unique; who you are and what you do make a significant difference in our world; you are impacting the lives of others in ways you may not realize.
We are not the center of the universe but we are each a seed of incomprehensible mystery and our contribution, no matter how small or how big, can help in transforming our world into a place that can continue to be life-giving to ourselves and others.
Coming Home to Self 