Shattered Glass
“Together, they began to form a mosaic of time—more intricate and beautiful than I could have imagined.”
Dear Travis, Joshua, Casey, and Aldyn:
The James Webb Telescope, sitting a million miles out in space, has captured some of the most captivating and awe-inspiring images in recent years—showing us a universe filled with trillions of stars and galaxies. These images stretch our understanding of time and space, hinting at a universe that has evolved over billions of years. This complexity isn’t difficult to fathom on its own; however, it becomes challenging when set against the backdrop of the biblical account of creation. How does such an immense and ancient universe fit into the idea of a six-day creation as described in Genesis? On the one hand, the images NASA has shared are profoundly intriguing, offering a glimpse into the vastness of the cosmos. On the other hand, they are unsettling because they seem out of sync with the biblical narrative that I was taught to believe in. It didn’t make sense to me.
Adding to this complexity are archaeological discoveries indicating that Homo sapiens—modern humans—have been around for over 200,000 years. This timeline, coupled with the theory of natural selection and evolution proposed by atheists and scientists, suggests a process spanning millions of years.
The more I learned, the more confusing it became. How do these scientific discoveries align with the biblical narrative? Where do Adam and Eve fit in this vast timeline? It felt like trying to piece together a shattered stained- glass window, where each fragment had to find its place in a cohesive picture—but how?
Then there’s the question of miracles today. I have to admit, this is something I’ve struggled with as I’ve grown older. Miracles, a direct intervention of God like those told in the Bible, seemed clearer when I was younger, or maybe it was just easier to believe in them without question. Today, when I hear people refer to events as miracles—like narrowly escaping a car accident— it often feels more like luck than divine intervention. If it were truly a miracle, then why do so many others not survive such accidents, or emerge from them with life-altering injuries? The concept of miracles today seems inconsistent, especially when looking at the broader reality of our world where suffering and tragedy are all too common.
Anne Frank’s story has been one of those troubling examples for me. I listened to her audiobook almost on a whim, not expecting it to affect me as deeply as it did. Her life was filled with hardship, yet she never seemed to give up on God, even in the darkest of times. How do we reconcile the idea of a loving and miraculous God with the harsh reality of history, where so many innocent lives like hers were lost? Where was the miracle in her story, or in the countless other stories of suffering throughout history? These are the questions that keep coming up, and the answers are not easily found.
I began this journey of writing not because I had all the answers, but because I was searching for them. I worried about all of you growing older in a world where faith is constantly challenged by new information and where the teachings of the Bible can seem outdated or irrelevant. You were raised in the church, but I’ve seen how the world you’re growing up in has made it harder for those teachings to take hold. I wanted to understand how all these pieces—the universe, evolution, the Bible, miracles—fit together, and whether they could provide a coherent and believable picture of the world and God.
Starting this journey was like looking at that shattered piece of stained glass, with each piece scattered in a thousand directions, every one of them looking the same. The task of figuring out which piece to pick up first was daunting. I have always believed in the Bible—I was raised that way. Growing up in a humble Christian home, my life was simple, and while the world had its own set of problems and struggles, it was a golden time in my life. I’ve also always believed in what I can see and what makes sense. So, when science started showing us things that seemed to conflict with the Bible, I knew that every one of those million pieces of glass had to fit together some- how. If they didn’t, then either the Bible or science couldn’t be true, and that was a troubling thought.
It finally made the most sense to start at the beginning, to go back to my earliest memories and retrace my steps, revisiting a fork in the road here and a twist in the road there. By picking up one piece at a time, I hoped to piece it all together. What I began to discover was that one by one, the pieces started to fit. A fragment of science fit here, and a piece of the Bible’s story fit there. Together, they began to form a mosaic of time—more intricate and beautiful than I could have ever imagined without having both. So, I want to invite you to follow along so I can show you what this mosaic has come to reveal. This journey has been one of discovery, faith, and a deeper understanding of how these pieces are creating a picture of something far grander than I ever expected. But before I finish this letter and reveal the full mosaic, I want to share with you how it came together one piece at a time—each a vital part of this story, contributing to a deeper understanding of the world and the faith we hold dear.