Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

The human brain weighs approximately 3 pounds, about 2% of the total body weight. It contains over 100 billion neurons. These neurons transmit thought via electro-chemical activity. The brain is 70% water, but capable of more ideas than there are atoms in the known universe. A modern computer can handle perhaps 100 million instructions per second, but the human brain is estimated to be able to handle 10 quadrillion instructions per second. And with all of our advances, we still don't really know how the human brain works.

When you think about it, it is astounding to think about what goes on without thinking about it. Without your conscious thought, your brain does an amazing number of things. It regulates your heart and respiration. It maintains your body temperature. It manages the astounding flood of sensory information that deluges your system every moment of every day. You don't have to think about how to walk. You just do it. You don't have to analyze language. You just know it. There is no conscious effort involved when your nose itches and your hand scratches it. Your brain monitors all of the nerve inputs from every inch of skin, all of the smell inputs from your nose, all of the visual inputs from you eyes, all of the sounds entering your ears. It determines, without you even being aware, what is worth bringing to your attention and what to ignore. "Excuse me. It's getting cold here on the skin. How about getting some heat?" "That's a painful pressure on the bottom of your foot. Perhaps you ought to stop stepping on that rock before it ruptures your skin." "That sound is nearing dangerous levels. You need to cover your ears."

We know things without thinking about them. That facial expression she just made means something. We don't analyze it; we just know it. This surface would be useful for rubbing my itchy back; that one would be useless. The word he just used has 14 different meanings, but I know exactly which one he meant without giving it a single thought. And while we make mistakes -- we are, after all, only human -- the sheer numbers of stuff that pours through the brain untouched and error free would put the post office to shame.

Let me give a practical example. One day I typed into Google, "How long does a budgie live?" The question is about lifespan; the question is about how long the bird will "live". Now, you readers have no problems determining what is meant by "live". You know how to pronounce it. You know that I'm not asking about whether it's "live or videotaped". That's a different "live". It's like the word "invalid". If I looked for "invalid argument", I might find articles on logical arguments that are not valid, or I might find arguments about whether or not there should be handicapped parking, because "invalid" can refer to the validity of something or it can refer to an infirmed or sickly person. You know from the context which I mean. Software would have a very difficult time figuring out context and nuance to determine which it is. So when I google "How long does a budgie live?", I can found out where they live, how long they live, the survival rate of budgie cells, and where I can see the rock band "Budgie" live. The software cannot tell the difference for all these uses. Your brain understands the question without giving it a moment's thought, while our software can't figure it out for all of the possible variations. The brain, it seems, is a marvelous thing.

I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Thy works, and my soul knows it very well (Psa. 139:14).

Perhaps there are many, many reasons of which we're not really aware that we are told "in everything give thanks".