How Flashes Deep With an Atom Reflect the Life We’re Searching For
“Oh, I forgot to tell you! As I was driving to come get you just now, John, something fell off the car.”
Both kids looked at me in surprise.
“Fell off the car?”
“Yes, I felt something tumble off the bottom of the car and, looking back in my rearview mirror, I saw something roll away.”
The kids laughed, exclaimed, and followed me to the door. John was already looking for his flipflops.
“Do you want to go find the part for me?” I asked, grinning at him, describing the spot just up the road where I had turned onto the highway. He grunted happily at finding his sandals in the jumble of winter boots and shoes, and opened the door.
“Here’s where it fell off from,” he stated proudly as soon as we were outside, peering under the back of the car. Where the muffler should have been was a gap, leading from an open pipe. John sauntered off comfortably in the blue twilight, my laughter following him.
In my daughter’s ninth grade science book this week we have been reading about the wild intricate behaviors of proton, neutrons, and electrons within an atom. Inside the nucleus is a flurry of activity where protons and neutrons exchange tiny particles called pions in a frenzy of energy. Electromagnetically, like charges repel each other. Protons, as positively-charged aspects of the atom, should repel each other, like same-sided magnets do. Yet, mysteriously, they don’t.
Bewildered scientists wondered for years why the protons’ positive charges didn’t repel each other and explode. They knew there must be a strong force holding everything together, but didn’t know what it was. Experiments and observations hinted at the existence of this strong force, but not much was known of it until the 1930s and 40s. Eventually scientists confirmed the existence and nature of this strong force, the strongest force in creation.
And my daughter and I at the couch are reading the textbook, underlining key parts, and giggling about this knowledge, as we try to illustrate and act it out. And do you know what thrills me about this force?
This strongest force in all creation, this strong force that overrules normal magnetism and is stronger than gravity… this strong force in science reminds me of the Trinity. Protons and neutrons are huddled so closely in the nucleus of the atom because they are giving of themselves. Taking part of themselves to manufacture pion particles, they give sacrificially to each other. Over and over they break off part of themselves, and give to the other. In what reminds me of sacrificial love, there is a frenzy of breaking and making and giving and receiving, and breaking and making and giving and receiving. Pions flash as gifts that last for a brief instant then are gone.
Giving of themselves to each other, they are wrapped intricately close. This– the strongest force in creation– is woven so tightly that all other natural laws of magnetism, poles, and gravity are broken, and in the center of the atom, unseen by the world, protons and neutrons give of themselves and hand off themselves as endlessly-given gifts to each other. And it’s the strongest force in science.
We get glimpses of that other-focused giving, in our families and friendships at times. I grin as my son strides back in the house, depositing an angular muffler on our front step, and it reminds me of this endless giving we see in this science, and in our God.
I see it in you as you love and care for the people in your lives. I see it in moms, dads, grandparents, siblings, relatives, friends and neighbors. This strong force. This breaking and making and giving…
Who knew it was modeled in pions buried deep within the atoms?
(Photo Credit: Mufflers: Michael Ash, Creative Commons,cc license.
Photo Credit: Atom: Argonne National Lab, Creative Commons, cc license.)
Linking with Emily at Imperfect Prose.
I love how we can see lessons and truths about God in the world around us. May we all continue to look for them!
Huh. Very interesting, and especially the analogy part! We've had some lessons in the atom recently, too 🙂
Great post. I think God leaves clues in all aspects of His creation to His love and sovereignty over all of it. Including us; the ones He grants free will. That's true love.
My youngest son is majoring in chemistry. My deepest prayer for him right now is that he will be able to discern from the worldly views of science and just be in awe of how great and wonderful our creator is. I hope in everything that he learns in science will only point him more and more to God and he will see how he can use science to tell the gospel.
Cheryl,
Isn't he a cool Creator? I agree.
Watching for them with you,
Jennifer Dougan
jenniferdougan.com
Brandee,
Do you homeschool? I've forgotten. How were your atom lessons? 🙂
Jennifer Dougan
jenniferdougan.com
Floyd,
I agree. They are so interesting too.
Jennifer Dougan
jenniferdougan.com
Jayne,
Oh, that's so true. Those years in university can make or break a person's faith sometimes. We had a family member really wrestle with losing his faith after some science degrees, but then come back to it in a deeper stronger way afterwards. They are still in the scientific field, and now are more convinced then ever that God is real, but they agonized and wrestled with doubt for a long time after that. Praying fr your son with you today. May he see amazing intricacy. University chemistry prof Dr. Jay Wile is an author and scientist. We use his science textbooks, and appreciate them.
Jennifer Dougan
jenniferdougan.com
everything has purpose…even to the smallest detail…this is the kind of god we have…smiles….we carry his truths even in our micro level…..
Sounds like something I would tell my husband, "Oh, by the way, …." 🙂 So thankful for that strong force that binds us together instead of pulling us apart!
All those science classes that I fell asleep in back in school….never realizing how important the atom really is….such a great read…thanks for presenting things in this way….hope the muffler is fixed! 🙂
God can be found everywhere. Not a single atom goes unnoticed by Him. He created it all.
And He does have a sense of humor! Thanks for sharing.
Oh and I've lost a muffler before…hit an armadillo.
Cheryl,
Me too. I appreciate the ones you pull out too. It's so fun to learn.
Jennifer Dougan
jenniferdougan.com
Brian,
Those tiny details amaze me more and more as I learn them! "Carrying his truth, even at a micro level" — yes. 🙂
Jennifer Dougan
jenniferdougan.com
Lisa,
Smiling with you.
Jennifer Dougan
jenniferdougan.com
Thanks, Mark, for commiserating with our muffler problems. 🙂 It was fixed that week.
Nice to meet you! Thanks for stopping by here.
Weren't those atom details fascinating? They got me too.
Jennifer Dougan
jenniferdougan.com
Mark = Planting potatoes
TC,
Hit an armadillo?! Wow, that's a good reason for losing a muffler. Mine wasn't quite as interesting… just procrastination and time. 🙂
Jennifer Dougan
jenniferdougan.com