There’s great functionality in design. Take, for instance, a skyscraper or an ice cream cone. Both are designed to efficiently contain some element. One allows a scoop of ice cream to be held in an edible container, while the other design allows a relatively small footprint on the ground to hold thousands of people.
But good design doesn’t stop there. Design is also beautiful. Think about it: The most carefully designed structures are also the most aesthetically pleasing to our eyes and other senses. A sophisticated jet. A palace. An expertly crafted dessert. A symphony.
But let’s not stop there: A rose. A Hummingbird. Your family pet. …Even the fierce beasts of prey! Human life. Microscopic DNA. Our planet and our universe.
All these things have great beauty and even greater functionality. Every example of beauty and positive functionality requires thoughtful design. While we can go back to historical records to track down the original designer of each man-made invention, we can also track down the designer of the entire natural world (including you and me) by reading the history in the book of Genesis. Not only can we revisit the creation of the universe in that record, but even today, we can know the Creator Himself.
We all enjoy the use of phones, but it’s too late to meet Alexander Graham Bell. What about cars? Not much of a chance of catching up with Henry Ford. You might enjoy spending time on Facebook, but you will probably never get a face-to-face with Zuckerberg.
But we enjoy so many other things. We enjoy sitting on our porches as we watch the sun slowly descend upon the horizon. We smile after a springtime shower as we smell the petrichor—that pleasant smell of rain—as we take a deep breath of air and feel the cool crisp water splash against our skin. Just like all the other man-made functions and designs we’ve discussed, these elements of nature, and the very senses with which we use to connect, are all elements of design and complexity, beauty and functionality. {eoa}
The Creator left a pattern of His fingerprints across each corner of the universe, a pattern that David Rives has devoted his life to researching, revealing and sharing, while declaring the glory of God. The president of David Rives Ministries, his weekly TV show Creation with David Rives airs to millions globally on TBN. Author of 21 Verses Backed By Science, his work has been featured on the History Channel, DirecTV, NRB, TBN, CBN, METV, and heard daily on Christian radio. Having gained millions of views on social platforms, his Facebook, TikTok and YouTube pages continue to grow, as Rives captures the attention of Christians and skeptics of all ages. Rives leads annual dinosaur field trips, photo safaris to Africa, expeditions into the Grand Canyon and shares the gospel to millions along the way. He may be reached at [email protected]
