Is There Actually a God? – Suck, Swallow, and Breathe.
Do you think the parents of the baby shown above struggle with the question of whether there truly is a god? More on this below.
Christmas. I’ve been “celebrating” it for 54 years now. Why? Good question, I think. For some, it’s a joyful time. For others, it can be a very painful time. For some. it’s a time to reflect, for other’s, it’s a time to forget. Many just view it, together with ringing in the new year, as part of the “Holiday Season”, while others view it as a day to commemorate one of the most significant events ever.
When we get right down to it, the only reason that this holiday exists is due to the birth of some guy named Jesus, who was apparently born in a town called Bethlehem to a virgin (WHAT?) named Mary, and grew up a poor carpenter in the town of Nazareth in modern-day Israel.
His claim to fame? He said that he was God. Hmmm. Love him or hate him, this guy has influenced humanity more than anyone that has ever lived. Believe who he says he is or not, millions have died because they did believe him.
The purpose of this post, though, is in regard to the question – Is there actually a God? Because this guy Jesus claimed to be God, I figured it was an appropriate time to kick off a series of thoughts that I’ve had over the years on the topic.
I love to think about this stuff and I hope some of you do as well. I certainly don’t mean for this series of posts to be controversial or an opportunity for people to argue. And for you Christians out there that may respond to those that don’t believe that there is a God, please don’t use this as a place to judge. I just want to throw out some thought-provoking topics that I’ve pondered over the years and hope to create some good “conversation”.
So back to the photo and to the topic of whether or not there is a God, a Creator, an intelligent being, or whatever you want to call her/him. The photo is of my son, Diego. Diego was born seven weeks premature. To say the least, the first few weeks of his life were quite worrisome. During his time in the NICU, I learned so many things that blew my mind about this amazing thing we call our bodies. But the one that stood out to me the most was the “instinct” to suck, swallow, and breathe all at the same time. Diego was born at 33 weeks of gestation and he had to eat through a tube that was inserted in his nose down to his stomach. The doctor told us that the soonest he would be able to go home would be when he “learned” to eat on his own by sucking, swallowing, and breathing, which doesn’t happen until the 36th week of gestation. So here’s the mind-blowing part (at least for me), at exactly week 36, he began to suck swallow and breath at the same time, which of course, allowed him to breastfeed or eat from a bottle – and go home!!!
I have reflected so many times on that event – and many others – and thought to myself, “How does an infant know to do that? Not only how to suck, swallow, and breathe all at the same time, but also, how do they know to look for their source of food and ‘latch on’?”
So, is there a God that “created” or caused this to happen? Or, as I alluded to above, is it “instinct”, or something that was “learned” over time? But if it’s instinct, then where does an instinct come from? I’ve got a few other thoughts to throw out there, but let’s start with this one and see where it goes. I look forward to your input
By the way – I’m happy to report that Diego is a very healthy 18-year-old, soon to be high school graduate (they grow so freaking fast…)!