If A Tree Falls

The little girl was leaning against her mother.
Actually, she was leaning against her mother’s tummy.
Leaning against her mother’s tummy and talking sweetly.
Talking sweetly to the brother or sister who is growing inside.

The little girl was having quite a conversation.
All the events of her day were being told.
The new song she learned at preschool was being sung.
It was wonderful to watch.

The mother encouraged this conversation.
The baby is kicking.
Did you feel it?
It must be your song that is making her dance.

My brother likes my song.
This little one was not taking any chances.
The little girl could not stop patting her mother’s tummy.
The affectionate touch of someone who is very anxious to meet someone else.

That was the beauty of the moment.
This unseen baby was already a Someone.
That is Truth for most of us.
That is not truth for many others.

The moment of conception is a miracle, a wonder, a divine Gift.
The debate about whether or not life exists in that divine moment is unnerving.
The cold assumption that we can decide when life begins should alarm us greatly.
We are not that powerful; we are not even remotely that powerful.

But we think we are.

It wasn’t until recently that I pondered a philosophical question.
If a tree falls in a forest and there is no one there to hear it fall, does it make a sound?
This question has been written about and debated for quite some time.
The real question being asked is: Can something exist without being perceived?

Is sound only sound if a person hears it?
Does something exist outside of human perception?
Can we assume the unobserved world functions the same as the observed world?
Does an observer impose on the reality observed?

Philosophers will endlessly debate such questions.
Often what results is a humanistic response.
We are at the center of our lives; our existence is affected by what we know.
Humanistic thought elevates rationalism and empiricism over faith.

The question of the tree falling in the forest is the epitome of humanistic thought.
We impose reality to something only when we experience it.
How sad for us that we have allowed our thought to focus solely on ourselves.
How right the little girl is with her childlike faith and joy.

This made me think of Christmas Eve on Sesame Street.
There are segments throughout the show, which include the children and Grover.
Grover asks the children to explain how Santa can deliver all the presents in one night.
The children’s answers are wonderful; one would have to have a cold heart not to smile.

To think of the masterful puppetry that is happening here.
To think of the camera angles so that we, the audience, only see Grover and the children.
I often wondered if the children even noticed the puppeteer below them.
The puppeteer who held Grover up, who moved his mouth, and who spoke for him.

They seem to be oblivious to the man that is right below them.
They are talking to Grover; they are answering his questions.
All the other details are superfluous.
The question being asked of them gets their full attention.

We tend to over think.
We feel the need to explain every nuance so that it fits in our frame of reference.
Except, our frame of reference is incomplete.
It is only a small piece of the whole.

The puppeteer did not cease to exist because the children did not acknowledge him.
He was very real even if the children did not perceive him.
So it is with unborn life.
That life is real indeed whether or not anyone else acknowledges it.

That is the way God operates.
This is His World; His Created order.
We were created for His pleasure.
We are finite; He is Sovereign.

God is the Author of Life.
He alone determines when life begins and ends.
We have taken upon ourselves the job of changing the words of the question.
If a baby in his mother’s womb cannot be seen or felt, is it really a baby?

In humanistic thinking, the quality of life will often trump the preservation of life.
This happens at all costs if the two come into conflict.
When we put ourselves in the center of our lives, there will always be conflict.
When we put God in the center of our lives, those issues are decided.

We are not remotely powerful enough to decide the answers to many of the questions.
God is God.
We are not.
Many of the things that we ponder through our human lens is answered by God alone.

God alone.
The One on the Throne.
The One who holds life in His hand.
The One we can know through His Son, Jesus.

In reply, Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You shouldn’t be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” (John 3:3-8)

The wind blows wherever it pleases.
You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.
So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.

Question answered.