More about simplicity

(Why the picture of the butterfly? Just because it's pretty and the design is simple, yet exquisite. But I'm not talking about butterflies.)

I was at my Algebra II class the other day, and I pondered some more on the beautiful simplicity of God's plans.
I was working on an algebra problem, trying to figure out what "x" was. ("No, really Rachel?") Just so you can see what I was working with, this was the problem:





So that was the problem. It looked really complicated to me. It was the kind I dreaded taking on. I mean really...
Those of you who love math are welcome to work the problem if you want. For those of you who would rather not, don't worry, I'll tell you the answer in a minute.

So I worked the problem, taking it step by step, filling line after line as I added, subtracted, simplified and moved integers. I worked and worked and worked. And then, I finally came up with the answer, and stared at it for a while.

x=0

Yeah. That was the answer. Zero. I had gone through all those steps, and all that stress, mind spinning, and eraser rubber to come to this answer. I had a Ben Gates moment.

"Could it really be that simple?"

During class, our teacher was talking about different formulas. And his favorite formula is the surface area of a sphere.



He loves it, because it displays the beautiful simplicity of God's design. Sphere's are one of the most complex figures to deal with, mathematically, and yet the formula for it's surface is so simple. Four circles cover the surface. Just like that.

These problems we deal with can seem so complex and intricate, because we don't know the answer. But God knows the answer. And it's so simple.

I've struggled through complex problems all summer. It's been this, that, and the other thing. Running in circles, problem solving, having new variables thrown in, and finally throwing my hands up and wondering if there is an answer. As I tried to describe a situation to someone, I finally said, "You know how you try to balance a teeter-totter with two sides? Well this is like an octagon or something. It's so complicated. It's got a ton of sides that all need to be balanced. And there's only one of me."
It seemed so complicated. And yet, when we came to the end, the answer was so beautifully simple. Some things are so simple, I can't even understand how He did it. He just solved this crazy problem with one incredibly simple answer. It's almost as if He didn't fix it by just solving the problem. He started with my heart.
"Be still."

Just like that.