Imagine the time when someone discovered how to make Glass. Yes. That window you look through, that screen you stare at, or from the item you pour a beverage. Glass. Think about Glass as a product, and you realize it’s everywhere! It’s shaded or clear, strong or fragile, or polished to see through or so thick you can see nothing beyond.
I’m in the process of moving into my new office. I glanced toward the new windows covered to protect my room from getting blasted by the outdoor elements. I paused and considered. Without a window, I would not know what’s happening outside, no fresh air when the day allows it to be opened, or buffer against the heat or bitter cold.
Imagine the process that creates something more than a little glass bead found in archeological digs in Mesopotamia. Who first thought of “making” Glass, and what was the process of their learning? That’s always a fascinating thought! Who, where, when, how, and why did they consider creating or replicating?
Perhaps after a storm (thunder, rain, and lightning), someone happened upon crystalized sand due to the power of the skies.
“When super hot lightning (at least 1,800 degrees Celsius/3,272 degrees Fahrenheit)
hits sandy beaches high in silica or quartz,
it fuses the sand into silica glass beneath the ground.
That means you can actually dig up petrified lightning if you know where to
look.” [Source]
Imagine that moment. Fused Lightning! A relic of the skies, a result of heaven meeting earth. Is it magical? Who has bewitched the sand to freeze in that new position?
Of course, if that were the first place someone experienced this, perhaps it opened the doors of metallurgical science and helped someone recreate the natural world. How do you make it lie flat, thicken, and become a pane set in a window? What’s the process to make it better? How much heat? Where’s the heat source? How do we make heat hotter? How strong can we make Glass?
Catch my drift?
Science and discovery have helped us understand and create most of what we take for granted. This modern world we enjoy is ancient and full of marvel and mystery. As we begin considering our space, one thought blossoms through many pathways and produce our modern times.
What began as a fragile experiment develops into laminated strength that protects you from crashes! Yes! That auto windshield protects against the wind, but it’s also part of the strength of your car, absorbing the shock around you. Your airbags work correctly because the windshield is in place!
Your modern windshield includes black enamel paint that even makes your windshield stronger and protects you better. Those little black dots at the edges are called Frits. [Go ahead, click here to learn more. You know you want to!]
Some pedestrian bridges are made of glass panels that allow you to walk over a canyon. Safely!
Properly prepared, Glass becomes a mirror, a beaker of chemicals in a lab, or that cup of brew sitting at your elbow.
At the same time, Glass can be fragile and strong.
Just Like You, or Me
We all present ourselves as strong, but on the edges and inside the part no one sees, we are equally fragile. You may bluster your way through a conversation only to realize you are standing on shaky ground. Suddenly you feel weak. Fragile, yet strong. A tossed word, phrase, or thought may break you into a million pieces. At the same time, you are ready to bounce back with newly found strength.
It’s called resilience – the capacity to quickly recover.
“Do not judge me by my success,
judge me by how many times I fell down
and got back up again.”
~Nelson Mandela
Bounce back begins with putting Humpty Dumpty together again. That’s something on your inside. Assembly may be as simple as telling yourself to move, duck, deflect, or even react. Often, my strength comes from a source I didn’t even know was available. That extra breath of oxygen, that last gulp of water, or pat from a friend or stranger on the back.
The Apostle Paul addressed this concept and used the imagery from an Old Testament quote (Joel 3:10).
And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations,
a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.
Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.
And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”
Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities,
that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Therefore I take pleasure
in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses,
for Christ’s sake.
For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 NKJV
There is a backbone of strength! We may not realize where and when it comes, but when we are weak, it shows up!
From Fragility to Strength: We cry out to the Lord in our fragile state. From his position of strength, he rests his power on us.
Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them;
for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you.
He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6 NKJV