Using science to draw closer to God

I find God in science.

To my mind, the science vs. God dichotomy is futile; science isn't in opposition with God, but rather a way for me to better know and understand God and myself, to relate to him and marvel at being part of his mystery. God gives meaning to the "why" of the world, whereas science answers the "how."

Because of evolution, I understand that my God is a slow, patient God who creates intentionally and waits billions of years for things to form, who waited billions of years for me. I understand through the Multiverse Theory that God is infinitely bigger than I could imagine and that I'm not the center of things, but that my mere existence is testimony that he loves and wants me.

The other day I read an essay that mentions the inflation revision of the Big Bang Theory. Inflation states that within the first trillionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second of our universe's existence, a certain type of energy caused the cosmos to expand more rapidly before it slowed down to further expand. Thoughts like this give me heart palpitations and make me shake my head at God with a heart-stripped-bare, are-you-trying-to-make-me-fall-crazy-in-love-with-you smile on my face. It makes me stop to marvel that such a short amount of time exists, that God can do so much in that fraction of a second, that God is timeless.

For me, to stand starkly on one side of what I perceive as an artificial dichotomy is to miss the wonder, beauty and meaning of being a beloved, purposeful part of this vastness and minuteness, this beautiful mystery of creation. When I consider all of this, my life -- the fact that I exist in the midst of all that is -- is even more of a miracle. I can't marvel enough; my response is wonder, awe and dancing.

Perhaps the science vs. God dichotomy arises from us making God too small, from our being thrown off when God doesn't align with our previously held beliefs of who we think he "should" be. Maybe we're making everything about ourselves and nothing about him. We shouldn't fear science, or use it in place of God or as a means of stripping humans of their dignity, but rather we can use science to draw closer to God, as we let go of our ideas of who God is and allow him to show us that he is much, much bigger.

God gives us the gifts of reason, intellect and faith. When I use my intellect and reason to learn about everything around me, the only thing I can do is bow down to my Creator, delighted, wonder-struck and crazy in love with a God I can't comprehend, a God who is a good, beautiful, and deep, deep mystery.

Mia Pohlman is a Perryville, Mo., native studying at Truman State University. She loves performing, God and the color purple -- not necessarily in that order.