The question for today is this: Is the universe flat, and how do we know? (Yes, I know. I sneaked in two questions while only speaking of one question. Questions, like rabbits, multiply rapidly.)

It all began innocently enough. My 12-step affirmation for today is this: “Today, by God’s grace, I am learning at least one interesting thing about God, myself, my wife, a friend, and the universe.”

My sponsor (who is a zesty blend of smart, wise, curious, and quirky) shot back a reply to my report and affirmation with these (scientific??) facts:

“The Earth is not flat. The Universe is flat. The Universe started hot, as it grows old it grows colder.”

So, given my A.D.D. mind, I was off the races trying to find out if what he said about the universe is true. I did what enquiring minds always do these days; I googled the question. Here is what I learned at the website https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shape_of_the_universe (accessed 09-20-2021). Scientists are still debating the issue. One of the things that both scientists and theologians do in order to hedge their gets is to say, “It is a matter of debate.” And, of course, many things are, aren’t they?

So, if I understood what I read, here is the bottom line: It has been demonstrated that the universe has what appears to be an almost negligible curvature. So, we could hold that the universe is essentially flat.

However, if the universe is huge, it may be that the small curvature indicates that the universe is curved. I’m not sure that I understand all this, but I am definitely intrigued.

Years ago, I used to drive through Kansas on my way to see my brother who lived in Colorado. I thought Kansas was entirely flat. I may not have been a member of The Flat Earth Society (FES), but I was for sure a member of The Flat Kansas Society. Kansas was a flat state to be gotten through—all flat 424.15 miles of it on I-70.

Then, one year when my family and I were driving out west, I paid attention to Kansas. It was time to harvest the wheat, and farmers on combines were out in force. Suddenly, I saw the beauty of Kansas. And I also saw that it was not really as flat as I had thought.

Sometimes, my life seems pretty flat. I get up. I have my coffee. I work a little. I play chess a lot. I eat a lot. I go to the bathroom a lot. I go back to bed.

But the truth is that even though every life may appear to be flat, it is not so. It is important to pay attention to the little curvature in our lives. Otherwise, we might miss out on a great many responsibilities and pleasures. Nobody needs to be a drama king or queen in order to have a rich life.

I love the way in which Eugene Petersen translates (or, perhaps better, interprets) Romans 12:1-2 in The Message.

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”

God didn’t make you flat, so don’t live a flat life today! Live curvaceously!