There was a new animated Disney movie that came out last year that did not perform too well at the box office. Named Wish, the film included a song that tried to explain all of the deep mysteries of the universe. Questions such as - Where did we come from? Why are we here?
The answer - according to the song - is for us to realize that we all came from the stars.
From the song, I’m a Star:
Have you ever wondered why you look up at the sky for answers?
Or why flowers in the wind are effortless and eloquent dancers?
What forms the rings in the trees? Turns a pine from a seed?
What's passed down generationally, to you? (And to me?)
And why our eyes all look like microscopic galaxies?
Have you ever wondered why you look up at the sky for answers?
If you really wanna know just who you are
You're a star (yes!)
The song packed a very surprising punch that the music was careful to build up to:
Here's a little fun allegory
That gets me excitatory
This might sink in in the morning
We are our own origin story
Are we our own Origin Story?
The Bible’s explanation for us is dust - not stardust - but the dust of the earth. The Bible makes it clear that we are NOT our own origin story - but we have an origin in our Creator.
The Bible tells us:
Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is HE that hath made us, and NOT we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture (Psalm 100:3, KJV).
So - are we just the random accident of chance and a byproduct of stardust, OR are we the product of an intelligent creator who placed us here for a purpose? According to the Scripture, "In the Beginning, God Created the heavens and the Earth" (Genesis 1:1).
Ask almost any question -- pick one, any question -- and the internet will likey have an answer for you. Case in point, some curiosity seeker asked the question, "Why is April 11, 1954 the most boring day in History?"
Good question. And the online answer gurus at wonderoplolis.org have an answer:
Imagine turning on the T.V., flipping to your favorite news channel, and giving the anchor your rapt attention, only to find that the day’s news was . . . nothing.
Can that happen? Can any day be that boring? According to computer programmer William Tunstall-Pedoe, yes, it can. And he’s even identified that incredibly boring day: April 11, 1954.
In 2010, Tunstall-Pedoe set out to identify the most boring day in history—or, at least, the most boring day in the 20th century. He used a search engine that he invented, called True Knowledge. The engine contained over 300 million individual facts.
Using an algorithm to scan through each day in the 20th century, Tunstall-Pedoe discovered that nothing of note happened on April 11, 1954. That is, unless you’re Turkish engineering professor Abdullah Atalar, who was born that day. An athlete named Jack Shufflebotham of England also passed away. No other well-known people were born or died.
There also don’t seem to be any noteworthy news stories from around the world. No major events from the stock market, sporting events, or NASA. No major films were even released that day.
But maybe Tunstall-Pedoe is wrong. Maybe other search sources found some newsworthy items from that day. But, sadly, no ...
"Perhaps it was, indeed, the most boring day in history," reports wonderopolis (or at least the most boring day of the 20th Century).
Yet, that said, they suggest there is another contender for the dubious title: April 18. 1930 ...
On April 18, 1930, people across England tuned their radios to the BBC for the evening news. The report? “There is no news,” read the announcer. 15 minutes of piano music followed the report.
Wonderopolis concludes:
Have you ever had a boring day? Everyone does from time to time. But it seems that some days are boring for the entire world!
But are they right? Is there really any such thing as an utterly boring, unnotworthy day? Certainly in light of God's Kingdom, creation, and calling, there is no such thing as an unnoteworthy day.
Each day is filled with purpose. Divine purpose. Divine opportunity to make a noteworthy impact. Each day is filled with a thousand little things that just might escape our notice if we are not fine-tuned, not to a news station, but fine-tuned into the heart of God.
We can be a part of making the news. In fact, we are created to be a part of making the news, of spreading the news! As we little by little impact the lives of the people, communities, and institutions around us, we are building a story -- a story for the ages!
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10, ESV).
"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:15-16, ESV).
At the 2016 Golden Globe Awards, actor Jim Carrey took to the stage to introduce the nominees for Best Motion Picture Comedy. But his speech was more than just an introduction to the nominated actors; it was, in fact, an introduction to the inner searches of his soul. While he began with a personal introduction, it quickly turned into a painfully honest critique on man's search for meaning.
So after being introduced as "two-time Golden Globe winner Jim Carrey," he proceeded to crack a couple self-aggrandizing jokes about what it’s like to be a two-time award winner.
Carrey remarked,
"Thank you, I am two-time Golden Globe winner, Jim Carrey. And when I go to sleep at night, I'm not just a guy going to sleep. I'm two-time Golden Globe winner, Jim Carrey, going to get some well needed shut-eye. And when I dream, I don’t just dream any old dream. No sir. I dream about being three-time Golden Globe winning actor, Jim Carrey — because then I would be enough. It would finally be true, and I could stop this terrible search for what I know ultimately won’t fulfill me.”
Everyone laughed at what Carrey said, and with nearly five million views on YouTube, people are still laughing. But the source of his humor is the truth it conceals: He was joking about the absurdity of trying to find ultimate fulfillment, purpose, and meaning in the things of this world.
You can watch the video clip here.
Even the wealthiest, most successful people cannot find ultimate satisfaction apart from God.
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 4:10, ESV).
"The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands" (Psalm 138:8, ESV).