Do you ever find yourself wondering why you were born?  Do you think you are a part of God’s plan? 

No matter what religion you practice (if any), or whether you’re a skeptic or a believer, you may find the answer in the following story. 

A Can of Soup

It was another dark, grey, pandemic day.  Feeling relieved to be out of my house, I splashed through the heaviest part of the downpour drawn by the bright, dry grocery store. I was still bored as I cruised aimlessly down endless aisles.  “Where is the soup?” I thought to myself.

My eyes alighted upon a can of Campbell’s cream of tomato soup.  Mindlessly, I picked it up.  “My nephew works for this company,” I thought, “I wonder if he helped to get this can of soup here.”  

My mind wandered to this strange topic. How many people participated in getting that can of soup into my hands?  Hundreds? Thousands?  How many tomatoes does it take to make this soup? Where were they grown? Who watered them? Who picked them?  Who created this recipe? What artist designed the label? Who drove the trucks? 

It is mind-boggling to continue down this path. Have you ever thought about that? A lot of planning brought that can of soup into my hands.

Just then, a little girl’s cry for treats suddenly broke my train of thought as her mother’s cart whizzed by me. I turned and looked at the child and thought to myself, “What about people? How did SHE get here?”

Are We Meant to Be?

My mind flashed back to when I had recently attended my granddaughter’s birth at the local University Hospital. After a great flurry of activity, the birthing room emptied. Soft spa music played as I sat In the glow of the doula’s Christmas lights and gratefully watched my daughter and her husband enjoy the first moments of their baby’s life.  Despite the nine months of anticipation, surprise and wonderment filled their hearts as they held their first child! As I held the can of soup and remembered this awe-inspiring moment, my mind wandered again. 

How many coincidences or events had to happen for my granddaughter to be born? 

What if I had not attended that Saturday morning seminar where I met my husband? 

No husband, no daughter, no baby.  

What if my daughter didn’t go to the conference where she met her husband? Thousands, millions of  “what if’s” happened, had to happen, for this baby to be born.

What about you? Did you ever contemplate the infinite number of coincidental events that led to your birth? 

How did your parents meet? How did their parents meet? Their parents?   

How far back in time must we travel?  From the instant of the Big Bang and “Let there be light” to the present moment, an infinite number of specific events HAD TO HAPPEN, to create you, to create me, and everyone who ever lived. WOW!  

Break a link in the chain of events anywhere, and none of us would be here today.

Are YOU Part of God’s Plan?

Look at someone you love and ask yourself, “Is this person’s life a random accident?” Is the fact that we are all connected an accident?  Your heart will tell you a resounding, “No!” 

If not an accident, do you think God planned your birth? I do, but if you are a skeptic, perhaps you prefer a more scientific interpretation.

Are you aware of the work of Max Planck? He won a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918 for his work on quantum theory. He famously said, 

All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force…We must assume behind this force (is) the existence of a conscious and intelligent mind.

After studying his work and the work of many other quantum physicists like Einstein and Bohm, I have come to the same conclusion. I propose that the Mind of God is another label for the Intelligent Mind, that is the creative force of the universe.  What about you? 

This Intelligent Mind organized billions of events over millions of years in order to produce you.

I shared these thoughts with a friend of mine and asked him, “How does this make you feel?” He smiled and replied, “Pretty special.”   

“Yes,” I added. “ And precious.” 

Clearly, in deep thought, he paused and smiled.” He stopped for another moment as he continued to contemplate this theorem. A spark came into his eyes, and he said, “And that would mean that everyone is precious.” 

As he made this statement, the images of immigrants, Proud Boys, BLM protesters, and political figures flashed across my mind. Could it be?

“Well, yes, of course,” I replied. “ Everyone is special and precious.”

What about you? Do you feel special and precious? Who or what do you credit with your creation and the connections you’ve made along the way?

Get in Touch

Did this piece of writing inspire you or resonate with you or your group? Contact Reverend Kathi Lockwood to inquire about her availability as a virtual guest speaker for your next event.