Life’s Principle: Evolve to Survive: continually incorporate and embody information to ensure enduring performance.
When I think of the Bible and evolving to survive there are many contexts that come up, but one in particular, is translations. Without translations, you and I would need to know how to read Hebrew and Aramaic to understand the Old Testament and Greek to understand the New Testament. Honestly, I have been trying to learn Spanish over the last couple of years and have made very little progress so I can’t imagine learning languages where I also have to learn a new alphabet, draw characters, and read from right to left.
That’s enough ABOUT translations, what can we learn FROM translations? In Biomimicry, curiosity is a key starting point. We often look at an organism and ask questions that begin with “I wonder.” I wonder why the original languages were translated to English? I think I just answered that question, English speakers would need to learn three new languages! I wonder why it was important that the Bible was translated to English? Greater dispersal of not only the Word of God, but life-giving words? I wonder why we need so many translations? Ahhh…while attending a Biomimicry immersion in California in March 2023 we were given a worksheet titled “Building Bridges Between Biology and Design.” There were 30 statements where we had to decide if the language used would be understandable for the conversation partners. Example: Biologist to Architect: The pores in human skin are spiral shaped to increase the ability to sweat. This is not a good translation for an architect who knows little about biology (but how cool is it that our pores are spiral shaped to increase the ability to sweat?!)
Translations matter. One of my favorite scriptures in the Old Testament is Genesis 16:13. It is from the story of Hagar. Hagar is Sarai’s (aka Sarah) servant whom she gives to Abram (aka Abraham) to conceive a child. Once Hagar conceives, the relationship between Sarai and Hagar deteriorates so dramatically that a pregnant Hagar runs away. An angel of the Lord speaks to Hagar in the wilderness.
So Hagar gave this name to the Lord Who spoke to her, “You are a God Who sees.” For she said, “Have I even stayed alive here after seeing Him?” (Genesis 16:13 New Life Version)
Meh.
Read this translation!
Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.”[a] She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?” (Genesis 16:13 New Living Translation)
Read them both again.
“You are a God Who sees” versus “You are the God who sees me.”
“Have I even stayed alive here after seeing Him?” versus “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?”
These sound very different to me. If you have ever felt unseen because (insert reason here) then maybe Hagar’s declaration to God that “you are the God who sees me” resonates deep within your soul. Being truly seen for who you are feels like a gift and this is how I read Hagar’s story. And then for Hagar to say, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?” This is not Hagar declaring she has seen God, but she has seen the reflection of herself through God’s eyes. Beloved. That is enduring.
As Christians, continually incorporating and embodying what we learn from scriptures leads to a life filled with love, compassion, and relationships with God and all of creation. That’s how we Evolve to Survive in this modern world.
Evolving to Survive: The Blue ‘Morpho Butterfly
Evolution is change that spans generations. It arises through mutations in the code of an individual or from sexual reproduction that recombines genes. Those with beneficial traits usually survive to then pass on this genetic code to their offspring. As the environment changes, success is dependent upon this trait being passed successively through many generations to affect the entire population for a true genetic shift.
Many believe color in nature is due to pigments, but there are also colors created by structure! “Structural color is caused by wavelength-selective scattering of light by microscopic features” like the scales that compose one side of blue ‘Morpho butterfly wings. Various ecological pressures have caused the evolution of this structural color mechanism. “‘Morpho are relatively fast-flying butterflies often considered difficult to capture… as a result of the marked but intermittent signalling emitted by their wings, irregular and ever-changing in nature as they beat rapidly in flight, hiding and exposing successively” the glossy blue top side and the brown underside of their wings. This dynamic flash coloration may have evolved to confuse predators with their erratic flight trajectory. How genius is not only the structural color mechanism, but the flight pattern!
DivineSite
Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.”[a] She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?” (Genesis 16:13 New Living Translation)
Find a safe, comfortable place in nature. Close your eyes and place your hands over your heart. Give yourself permission to be fully present during this time. Take slow, cleansing breaths. Proceed through the meditation at your own pace.
Receive these words. “You are the God who sees me.”
Meditate on these words. “You are the God who sees me.”
Express your response to these words. “You are the God who sees me.”
Revel in these words and what they mean to you. “You are the God who sees me.”
Open your eyes.
Move your body to allow your gaze to take in all that is around you, the God-made. “You are the God who sees me.” You are surrounded and part of God’s creation. What you are experiencing is also experiencing you. Did you sense a change in the birds’ singing? Did a bee change course? What is life doing below your feet, feeling the vibrations of your movement? We are connected. Breathe that in. We are connected. We are all God-made. The only difference is that we were made in the image of God. We are to reflect that love God applied to create all things back to God’s creation. With your vision expanded, do you see how God sees God’s own creation? Do you see God’s creation as God sees it? It is very good. Put this vision together and can you see how God sees us all as one creation?
“You are the God who sees me. Have I truly seen the One who sees me?”
How do you feel after this meditation? Do you feel (re)connected to God? Has your view of yourself changed? Has your view of the God-created changed? What will you do each day to absorb this experience so it becomes something you naturally experience?