Did you ever think that...

Yes, I should be wrapping up my final paper for my first semester of counseling school, but this won't take long! When I think about the world, I mean, the universe, it can be absolutely overwhelming. There is so much to it that it is hard to fathom in my finite mind. So I stop, and I think about what is right in front of me: earth. Did you ever stop to think about what it takes to create a livable planet? I stole this from my Apologetics Dictionary (pp. 26 & 27), but think about these ideas, for a moment:

If the atmosphere was 25 percent oxygen, the world would be on fire... if it was 15 percent, humans would suffocate. Our atmosphere is 21 percent oxygen.

If there was a slight increase in gravity, the sun would burn too rapidly and erratically to sustain life.

If the centrifugal force of the planetary movement did not precisely balance the gravitational forces, then nothing would orbit around the sun.

If the universe was expanding one millionth slower than it is, the temperature of the earth would be 10,000 degrees.

If the average distance between stars was not as far as they were, orbits would become erratic and the extreme temperature variations on earth would kill life.

If Jupiter's orbit was different, then the earth would be bombarded by asteroids and comments that would have otherwise been sucked in by Jupiter's gravitational pull.

If the earths crust was any thinner, volcanic activity would destroy life on earth. If it was thicker, too much oxygen would be transferred to the earth, thus life could not be supported.

If the rotation of the earth was anything other than 24 hours, the temperatures would be too erratic to support life.

If the axial tilt was any different, then surface temperatures would destroy life.

If lightening was any stronger, it would create too much fire destruction... if it was weaker, than there would be too little of nitrogen in the soil.

If there were more earthquakes, then too much life would be lost. If there were less earthquakes, certain nutrients needed for life would not cycle back into the continents as it should.

When I read these facts, I can not help but think about how God tailor made the earth for us. It gives me hope and it gives me faith knowing that God knows what he is doing. Anyway, I just wanted to share that because I found it to be extremely helpful!