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I had loved the stars since I was a toddler. My grandad used to gather my brother and I up in his arms and take us outside after dark to look at the stars. He would tell us about many things that we could not possibly see, but wished we could. From that time on, I had wanted a telescope. (Read The Great Discovery)
When my brother and I were about 12 years old, we saw a magazine ad for a telescope lens kit. “Explore the heavens, see the rings on Saturn.” it promised. So, we sent our $3.50 off and began the long wait of two endless weeks. I still remember the joy of its arival. So, we gathered up the tubes and in another week, had the telescoe assembled. What a joy to open the window of our bedroom, prop that telescope on the sill and look at stars. We never did find Saturn. But I think that my desire continuous desire was like a prayer that I never spoke. And God, who isn’t limited to prayers, granted the that hearts desire BIRTHDAY PRESENT FROM GOD It wasn’t the birthday present that was so much a recognizable miracle, although I know God’s hand was in it, but what I did with the present, that made scientific eyebrows raise. None of the people I knew gave telescopes for Christmas or birthdays. And since I worked for small companies and had five children to raise, I couldn’t afford even the thought of buying one. The only alternative was to make my own. This story actually begins when I started work for a small company, heading up their electronics department. I had access to a lathe and the first fellow I hired was an old machinist who taught me how to use it. “Coincidence,” you say? The next event of note, my wife gave me a mirror grinding kit for my birthday, which happens in June. In case you don’t know, most telescopes, and all of the big ones use a magnifying mirror instead of a lense. So, I set up a table in an attic room, which was forbidden by the rules of telescope mirror grinding. Telescope mirrors are to be ground in basements where it is cool, not in hot attics. So, I sort of cheated. I prayed everyday before starting to grind.. The grinding was done in almost record time, just twenty hours. Polishing was equally fast, another twenty hours. The mirror was complete in less than a month. When I tested my mirror, it looked good to me. But not knowing how good a job I had actually done, I took it to the Denver Astronomical Society for evaluation. “This is one of the finest mirrors we have ever seen!” Then they asked, “How long eid it take you?” “Forty hours total.” “How did you do it,” they asked, expecting to learn some new brilliant technique. “Well, it’s the first mirror I’ve made. I ground it in a hot attic room and I prayed about it before each grinding and polishing session.” They were not impressed by my answer— not being what they wanted to hear. But I was very impressed by how God had helped me produce a perfect mirror in record time in the wrong environment. Additionally, there were so many variations in grinding stroke, rate, rotation, grit, and pressure, that the outcome was truly miraculous. Apparently none of them had been able to achieve that degree of excellence, although some had produced several mirrors. Needless to say, they didn’t ask me to report on my technique at the next Society meeting. Another coincidence happened. After a telescope mirror is ground, it must get a very fine coating of silver. Since I had no idea of how to apply an even coat f silver and couldn’t afford to have it vacuum metalized, It meant another trip to the instructions. The process was rather protracted, requiring about two weeks. But that didn’t deter me and I invested the two weeks and rigged the mirror for the process. The coating turned out to be as superb as the mirror! Sometimes, recognizing the miracles of God requires one to look closely t how circumstances develop and work together for our good. In this case, I could have boasted of how great a job I did, of my skill and grinding technique. But even the grinding technique had to be an act of guidance, because I had never ground a mirror before— never experimented with technique, rotation and stroke length. God help us to be wise in our observance of your hand in our lives and works. |
