Sundog

From Wikipedia:

A sun dog or sundog (scientific name parhelion, plural parhelia, for "beside the sun") is a common bright circular spot on a solar halo. It is an atmospheric optical phenomenon primarily associated with the reflection or refraction of sunlight by small ice crystals making up cirrus or cirrostratus clouds. Often, two sun dogs can be seen (one on each side of the sun) simultaneously.

I couldn't think of a name for this blog and I remembered the first time I saw a sundog. I was in Florida and there were two dim little rainbow looking reflections in the sky on both sides of the sun. It looked sort of like the photo above, but they were much smaller (and there was a palm tree instead of a pine tree). They were barely noticeable but I happened to see them because I look at the sky a lot. I thought they were pretty cool and later found out they were sundogs.

Sundogs remind me of my ability to understand or imagine God. Even in moments of greatest clarity as I come closer to him and as I seek him, I only see a dim reflection... as in a bad mirror. I can't imagine what they used for mirrors 2000 years ago, but I'm sure they weren't very clear... even the ones from a century ago were pretty murky.

Those little sundogs, as beautiful as they were, are only a dim reflection of the awesome brilliance and power of the sun. My understanding of, and efforts to be like the perfect example God provided in Jesus Christ are just that… cloudy and skewed by an imperfect person that has been influenced by an imperfect world. I can only imagine coming face to face with him and knowing fully what I only vaguely imagine now.

Let this be my own little disclaimer regarding whatever I post here.

1 Corinthians 13:12 (ESV) For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

Time and Light

I read 'time is a drag' on a profile update yesterday. Time IS a drag... so is gravity and other assorted things that are causing me to age.

I learned some interesting facts about time. The faster you travel... the slower time passes. It's something Einstein theorized about and was proven right. Light travels at a constant speed no matter what impedes it. Even when it bends, is reflected or is diffused it still travels at 186,000 miles per second. You cannot change the speed of light... it is a constant. Time is not a constant... even though we usually think of it that way.

Theoretically, if you could travel at light speed... time would stand still. If you think about it, if you were traveling at the speed of light would you still be able to see it? Would you be in the light? Part of the light? What would happen? It is said that light is a wave and if you were traveling at the same speed you would be 'riding' the wave. Now that's some high speed surfing.

God refers to himself as 'the light'. He also refers to himself as a 'constant'... always present - never changing. I find that pretty interesting in 'light' (haha) of the things we now know about light. It stands to reason that if you are 'the light', time doesn't matter. Time doesn't matter to God. He knows the beginning and the end of 'time'. A day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day for him. These things were written millennia before anyone knew what we now know about light.

Just something to think about… in case time is dragging for you ;)