Leaning back in his chair, Jeremiah sat, admiring the sword he held in his hand. He was analyzing the intricate details on the hilt when he heard the sound of children chattering outside. He smiled as the joyful sounds came closer. Every Saturday, Jeremiah’s sister and brother-in-law let the twins they adopted come over to his house to spend the afternoon. It was the highlight of Jeremiah’s week.
The door opened with a burst of cool air as the blonde-haired twins entered the hut. They ran over to Jeremiah and each gave him a hug.
“That’s a very beautiful sword, Uncle,” commented Michael.
“Thank you. Here, hold it if you like.” Jeremiah handed the weapon to Michael, who grunted under the weight.
“It sure is heavier than my practice sword.”
“It’s sharper too, so be careful. You wouldn’t want to try to explain to your parents how you made your uncle lose an ear,” Jeremiah chuckled.
Sabrina stared her reflection in the brilliant steel blade.
“It looks amazing! Who made it?”
“I did actually. A very long time ago.”
“Really? I didn’t know you made swords.”
“I used too. But now my hands are too shaky and weak to craft such weapons.”
“How are they made?” inquired Michael as he carefully returned the sword to Jeremiah.
“Not easily, I’ll tell you that. I must first melt the iron into steel, a very tricky process. Once I had the steel, I had to heat it to just the right temperature to strengthen it. But it also has to be slightly flexible so it didn’t snap in battle.”
“How did you know what the right temperature was?” asked Sabrina.
“I had to observe the color of the heated metal. It had to be a hot red. I had to hammer the clump of steel into the shape I need. Over and over I would hammer, shaping the weapon just right. I’d reheat the sword again and again to make sure it kept the right temperature. Then, once I had finished shaping the blade, I’d quickly cool it in a bucket of water to harden it. When that was done, the blade would be brittle, so I would have to heat it slightly again to finished my work. That the simple explanation. Creating and attaching the hilt was a whole other process. I ruined many weapons early on because I simply didn’t know the correct procedures. Everything had to be done just right for the blade to be perfect.”
“All that work goes into making one sword?” asked the stunned Michael.
“Yes, it does. Tt took years to learn and master.”
“That’s amazing,” Sabrina said. “How did someone figure out how to do all of that?”
A glint formed in Jeremiah’s eyes. “Well, actually, the first sword just happened to be made by chance.”
“What do you mean?"
“There used to be a small village at the base of a volcano. In that village there was a blacksmith. The blacksmith had just pulled out a clump of iron when the volcano erupted. Everyone fled, leaving the village empty. The explosion was so intense that large rocks shot into the sky. Lava flowed down the mountain into the village. Some happened to hit the iron and heat it to just the right temperature. Several rocks landed just right onto the iron and hammered it into the shape of a blade. The vibrations from the erupting volcano then pushed the blade off the table it was on into a bucket of water, which instantly cooled it. The bucked then tipped over, dropping the blade near the lava. It reheated slightly, and after a couple more rocks hit it, the blade was finished.”
The twins stared at their uncle. The story sounded so ridiculous, but Jeremiah didn’t have even a hint of a smile. They couldn’t tell if he was serious or not.
“I don’t mean to sound rude, Uncle Jeremiah, but that story sounded absurd,” Michael finally said timidly. “There’s no way that could happen.”
“You’re absolutely right,” replied Jeremiah with a smile.
“So why in the world did you make up such a story?” asked Sabrina, clearly confused. “There would be no one in their right mind who would believe you.”
“True. The making of a sword is so complex, you know it couldn’t have happened by chance. When you two first saw my sword, you logically knew there must have been a creator of the sword, and before that, someone who designed it. Yet there is something far more intricate in design than the sword, but many supposed men of learning say it came about by random chance.”
“What’s that?” asked Sabrina.
“Life. Life is everywhere. In humans, animals, and plants. It’s all around us, yet no one can even begin to try to recreate it. But the men of learning in this world deny the creator. They say everything just happened at just the right moment and just the right place that life suddenly just started.”
“Why would someone want to believe that? It’s so crazy if you think about it,” commented Michael.
“Because they deny God exists. They don’t want to admit that He is in control and we need to submit to Him. So people try to find some other excuse, which is stupid. If they just read the first verse in the Bible, they would have all the answers they are looking for.”
“’In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth,’” quoted Sabrina.
“Very good! There’s the answer right there.”
“If anybody thinks about it logically, there is no way that life could have come from nothing. Someone had to design it,” Michael said. “The evidence is all around us. Life is so fragile. We need food and water to live. The right temperature is needed too. If just one thing was wrong when life supposedly created itself, it would have died right off. Before life could even happen, the world needed to be perfect.”
“Exactly. And God knew that. That’s why He didn’t start creating life until after the earth, sun, moon, and stars were formed. Once those were in place, God created the miracle of life.”
“And I’m so very glad He did,” smiled Sabrina.
“Amen! Now, how about we get outside and enjoy this beautiful creation God has for us?”
Jeremiah suggested as he rose from his seat, carefully laying his sword on the chair.
The children excitedly rushed out the door. Jeremiah chuckled as he gave chase. Silently, he praised God for the two miracles of life ahead of him. Life truly was good with God in charge.
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