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You can’t imagine an hour without it.
Every day you use it, wash with it and ingest it. It’s in the air, on the ground and you can’t live long without it. But when is the last time you gave water a second thought?
A normal molecule?
If you’re like me, you’ve assumed that water is the epitome of a “normal” liquid. Would you be surprised to discover that water is far from ordinary?
It’s true! Water actually behaves quite strangely compared to other liquids. Moreover, our physical existence would be impossible without water’s bizarre properties!
Take, for example, ice. A tall glass of cold water has ice on top, and icebergs float in the ocean. Now realize that this is the opposite of every other common liquid. Most liquids contract as they cool, forming denser, heavier solids. It’s a real blessing that water is peculiar; if ice didn’t float above water, it would sink and kill the aquatic plants and fish!
So what makes water (H2O) so different? Oxygen likes to hog electrons. This unequal sharing forms a positive side and a negative side on the molecule. Therefore water has high polarity (a large difference in charge from end to end). When water freezes, its polarity and geometry allow it to structure uniform, spread-out crystals. In contrast, normal substances just pack closer together upon freezing.
The universal solvent
Have you ever wondered why water does such a good job cleaning almost everything? Water’s strong polarity allows it to dissolve many different substances, including dirt.
This polarity also allows your blood to carry nutrients to every cell in your body. Did you know your body is at least 60 percent water? And your blood is 83 percent water!
Why doesn’t all the water evaporate off the earth’s surface and leave us in the dust? This is a good question; most molecules of water’s size are so small that they boil at much lower temperatures. Again, the answer lies in the polarity of the water molecules, giving them a strong affinity for each other, and preventing them from evaporating until much more heat is added.
Just a taste
I hope this small sampling of water’s many unusual characteristics has whetted your appetite for more.
As a science student, the more I delve into chemistry, the more awestruck I am by the tremendous detail in the universe’s design. I’m convinced that the intricacy shows beyond a doubt that it was designed—and therefore created by the true God of the Bible.
God designed water with exquisite precision, reflecting the care and the detail that He built into the rest of His creation. You can learn more about that exquisite precision by reading “Intelligent Design’s Sherlock Holmes.”
The true water of life
Not only does God sustain our physical life now as our Creator, but He also offers eternal life. Through His ancient prophet Jeremiah, God describes Himself as a fountain of water (Jeremiah 2:13). But He compares false gods and false religion to broken cisterns that cannot hold water. Thus the true God is the only source of true, everlasting life.
“Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:13-14). And so Jesus Christ offers you and me the true water of life. VT
-About the Author -
Shannon Wayne, a regular United Youth Camp volunteer, is entering her senior year in chemical engineering at the University of Cincinnati in Ohio.
Turn on the news for two minutes and study politicians in action.
Listen to one of them deliver a speech, and then analyze it word by word. Often the politician’s statements come out so muddled that one wonders what the substance was.
Compare this to word usage in daily life. It may seem good to always state an opinion. However, “free speech” does not mean that we’re obliged to speak freely without thinking ahead. Words are not just empty constructions—they have meanings that affect people.
The Bible’s advice on words
According to Scripture, the quantity of words should not be the goal, but the quality. It is so much better to say the right thing at the right time instead of saying what first comes to mind.
Words of encouragement and genuine admiration are often a real boost to others: “To make an apt answer is a joy to a man, and a word in season, how good it is!” (Proverbs 15:23, English Standard Version throughout).
A fool’s many words
I was fascinated by the following verse in Ecclesiastes, a book highly recommended for a young person to read through: “Even when the fool walks on the road, he lacks sense, and he says to everyone that he is a fool” (Ecclesiastes 10:3). For more insight, be sure to read “Ecclesiastes: The Thinking Young Adult’s Guide to Life.”
As applied to today, it could be someone’s constant talk in the lunch room (or a never-ending call on the mobile phone on the bus) that makes other people seriously wonder if this person came with a built-in power switch.
Therefore, there are times when it is better to quietly refrain from giving an opinion on everything—no matter how well intended it is. Likewise, there are times when we cannot afford to remain silent but have to speak up. The first case is probably far more common though—some would say it happens on a daily basis.
Even if your opinion is perfectly sensible and right, is the other person prepared to consider your words or will what you say be rejected without receiving proper thought? “Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the good sense of your words” (Proverbs 23:9).
If you do speak to a fool, he or she will produce plenty of words: “A fool multiplies words, though no man knows what is to be, and who can tell him what will be after him?” (Ecclesiastes 10:14, emphasis added throughout).
Listen first, speak less
To actively listen to someone is not only courteous but can save us from making major mistakes further down the road. Often we may not be informed of all the facts or have understood properly how things are connected in a situation. After all, no one knows everything! We can learn from the experiences and instructions of others, like our parents—provided we hear them out first.
“If you have been foolish, exalting yourself, or if you have been devising evil,put your hand on your mouth” (Proverbs 30:32). In our age of blogs, Twitter and e-mail, the admonition could just as well read “remove your hands from the keyboard.”
Attempting to explain foolish behavior can make things worse. Usually a genuine “I’m sorry” can be all it takes to put a matter to rest.
With words, less is often more. VT
- About the Author -
Stefan S. lives near Gothenburg in western Sweden where he studies chemistry at the University of Gothenburg.
