Significance

One summer day in July, several photos came my way. First, I saw pictures from the James Webb Telescope.

My favorite of these, and perhaps the most famous, is the photo of the Carina Nebula, a star-forming region in our very own Milky Way Galaxy showing an ethereal landscape of what looks like a massive dust storm in the sky with twinkling stars galore pouring forth some speech of good news, joy, and cheer all backdropped by my favorite color, midnight blue.

But then, I saw a second photo from a baby announcement via email at work.

A brand new baby, so new little bits of birthing custard could be seen on his cheeks.

With a perfect little face and eyes open, peering directly at the camera, I’m in total awe.

He is eternity bundled in flesh and a tiny hospital blanket, white with blue and red stripes.

He is a bit of stardust, bearing the very image of God, alive with little seeing eyes that seem to tell me, “I am wisdom, humor, purpose, and love.”

The gorgeous Carina Nebula can’t compare with Stardust freshly bearing the image of God.

Some declare we humans are insignificant specks of dust in the grand scheme of the cosmos.

But I’m not convinced our smallness translates to insignificance.

And if we are insignificant in the grand scheme of everything, how can anything we say about it be of significance?

Featured Image Credit NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI