“The psalmist likened God’s thoughts toward us to sand, which sound simplistic. But by now, you know that nothing is as simple as it seems. Everything is more miraculous than we can imagine, and that includes sand. A single grain of sand. Sand is so much more that beaches and sandcastles. It’s a miracle called silicon dioxide.”- Mark Batterson
“How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand — when I awake, I am still with you.”- Psalm 139:17-18 (NIV)
Mark Batterson concludes Chapter 9 of A Million Little Miracles with a story about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Although the quake flattened most of the city, one special building remained. Located at the corner of Mission and Thirteenth Streets, the half-finished Bekins Van and Storage warehouse stood strong. Most significantly, the Bekins building survived because construction workers used one relatively new material – reinforced concrete. The key ingredient? Sand.
And the domino effect? Building codes started to require reinforced concrete. Today, we harvest more than fifty billion tons of sand each year. Sand that’s used in construction projects around the world. In addition, people use fiberglass to make helmets, airplanes, and surfboards. Fiberglass is made from sand. Also, smart phone microchips contain high purity silica sand.
Certainly, sand represents an everyday miracle that we take for granted. But, Mark notes, we steward a miracle when we believe God for bigger and better miracles. However, that starts off with appreciating the miracles that stare you in the face. Of course, the author states, that includes the mirror that reflects the image of God in you.
In conclusion, poet William Blake wrote these words in his poem Auguries of Innocence:
“To see a World in a Grain of Sand / And a Heaven in a Wild Flower / Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand / And Eternity in an hour.”
Today’s question: What little miracles do you see in a single grain of sand? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: the annotated bibliography of A Million Little Miracles