Where's Earth?

I took my children to see a kid's show at the planetarium in the science building my husband does research at. The planetarium is a large dome theater that projects a replica of what we see in our night time sky. The lady giving the presentation pointed out different planets such as Jupiter, Venus, and others...

...then she asked the children if they knew where Earth was.

One child squinted her eyes, "there it is, I see earth," she said pointing to one of the stars.

"Actually you can't see earth in the stars like you can the other planets," responded the presenter. "The reason you can't see it in the sky is because you are standing on it."

I looked over at my 4yr. old and saw this revelation hit him...

He looked down at his feet with complete amazement... as he gazed with his eyes wide open he shouted excitedly , "I'M STANDING ON EARTH!"

I laughed with adoration. And then..... I learned something from him. I learned how children see miracles in things we adults often take for granted. Isn't it amazing in this vast expanse of space that WE ARE STANDING ON EARTH!

The Grandeur of God

I've been thinking about the greatness of our Father in Heaven, how amazing His creations are, our relationship to Him and the miracle of life itself.

As I reflect upon this I can't help but recal what Moses experienced when He talked face to face with God....Moses Chapter 1

"And God spake unto Moses, saying: Behold, I am the Lord God Almighty, and Endless is my name; for I am without beginning of days or end of years; and is not this endless?

"And, behold, thou art my son; wherefore look, and I will show thee the workmanship of mine hands; but not all, for my works are without end, and also my words, for they never cease."

"he beheld also the inhabitants thereof, and there was not a soul which he beheld not; and he discerned them by the Spirit of God; and their numbers were great, even numberless as the sand upon the sea shore."

"And it came to pass that Moses looked, and beheld the world upon which he was created; and Moses beheld the world and the ends thereof, and all the children of men which are, and which were created; of the same he greatly marveled and wondered."

"And he beheld many lands; and each land was called earth, and there were inhabitants on the face thereof." "And it came to pass that it was for the space of many hours before Moses did again receive his natural strength like unto man; and he said unto himself: Now, for this cause I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed."

Look at the size of the earth compared to the sun... isn't it amazing how small we are!!!!

"And the Lord God spake unto Moses, saying: The heavens, they are many, and they cannot be numbered unto man; but they are numbered unto me, for they are mine. And as one earth shall pass away, and the heavens thereof even so shall another come;"

Isn't this a beautiful picture?! The Milky Way Galaxy has 200 -> 400 billion stars Dwarf galaxies contain around 10 billion stars whereas giant galaxies can contain upwards of a trillion stars.
"...and there is no end to my works, neither to my words."

This image was from the hubble telescope a view in space the size of a fingernail. There are an estimated 100 billion galaxies in the observable universe.

These are not individual stars, these are GALAXIES!! And it's only a sliver of the sky!!

The most amazing thing about all of this is after God showed Moses His glory, the expanse of the universe, His greatness and power..... God said....

"For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."

God is our Father, we are His children, His spiritual offspring created in His image. He wants us to be happy, to be one with Him as Christ is, to become like Him.

How completely humbling and wonderful it is to know that I am a daughter of God and to know God sent His Son to atone for me! I will praise Him all my days!

God Bless You, Alicia

Read what a modern-day apostle has to say about the Grandeur of God here.