All the Layers We Cannot See

 

 

For months now, I have watched the development of an empty lot I pass nearly every day.  Earth moving equipment appeared one day and moved some dirt around.  Dump trucks took away excess soil and unwanted rock.  Small flags marked the perimeters, footings were dug, and huge concrete trucks poured the foundation.  It is finally beginning to look like a building.  And when it is done, the foundation underneath, the work of preparation, and the structural supports will be mostly invisible.  Not one person alone did the work, but a team of contractors all doing their part, layer upon layer, all connected in one manner or another, all vital for the overall visible outcome.

For months now, we have heard about a pending vaccine to combat covid.  While many have questioned the speed at which the vaccine was developed, as in most things, there is a strong back story on which the vaccine was built. It did not just suddenly appear. 

For decades now, researchers have pursued a vaccine for HIV, delving into the complex intricacies of the immune system, one clue, one discovery, one connection at a time.  After all this time, a vaccine for HIV has not been developed, but the efforts have not been a failure, nor a defeat.

In early January 2020, teams of researchers testing prototype vaccines for several other viruses were able to shift gears quickly at the news of the coronavirus outbreak in China.  The roadmap and the essential knowledge that had been accumulated over decades while researching HIV finally paid off, allowing researchers to pivot their attention to the pending pandemic, utilizing knowledge about viruses, antibodies, emerging technologies, treatment, and vaccines.

"Everything we do with every other pathogen spins off of things we've learned with HIV," states Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984.

What we do, what we learn, how we apply our knowledge lays the foundation for what we do not yet grasp, all connected in one manner or countless unexpected ways.  

That is what faithfulness does:  the constancy, devotion, dedication and steadfastness toward what is right in front of us, even if we never see the manifestation of our work or the final product, or even what we see as a failed effort.  Faithfulness to God always produces fruitfulness in infinite ways.

Layers upon layers, degrees by degrees, detail upon detail, nothing is insignificant. "Nothing," as my grandmother always said, "is for naught."  We can't do everything, but we can do something. There is nothing that God can't use, or might use, but indeed, He is already using.

We just cannot see it yet.  But be faithful to Him in it.

 

I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.

...According to the grace of God given to me,

like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation,

and someone else is building upon it.

                   1 Corinthians 3. 6, 10