The world lost a great mind today, Dr. Stephen Hawking, died at the age of 76.  Hawking was physically disabled by “amyotrophic lateral sclerosis”(Lou Gehrig’s Disease.)  What constitutes as a great mind, however?  Personally, I believe when someone has contributed to society and made society better for doing so, that someone probably has a great mind.

Where does the great mind begin?  When does the ordinary mind become ordinary; is it from birth, or is it after being in certain surroundings?  Is it after an IQ test where the soul’s intelligence can not be measured?  Psychologist used to call Psychology “The study of the soul”, but then realized the soul was out of the realm of their studying capability, so they changed it to “the study of the mind;” at least, that is what it was when I was in college.

Could it be the confident man or woman making over 100k a year who might say, “it is nature vs nurture, and nature always wins?”  Would the man or woman flipping burgers at a fast-food restaurant say that nurture yields to harsh environments, things that are out of their control, the neighborhood they grew up in, their parents education, or the school system he or she attended?  Do we all not have great minds in some form or fashion?   Does nurture ever win?  I believe nurture can win; with a good support system in place, it is hard not to win.

A Pastor, a bank teller, a receptionist, a cashier, a custodian, a garbage man, a teacher, a doctor, a mechanic, machine operators, people in politics, scientists, the police, fire fighters, and so on and etc.: all of the people who hold these and other job titles contributes to society for the greater good; they all have great minds in their own ways, but the difference is their name may not be all over social media after their death, and that is okay: that is what obituaries are for.

Sure, Stephen Hawking was considered a genius by many, yet he was a non-believer; it is a shame that a great mind like his spent all that time looking up to the universe, and he never saw God, and probably never looked for God.  I say it is a shame because heaven could use a man like Stephen Hawking.  I believe a man as intelligent as Stephen Hawking would have a hard time not believing in God; perhaps he was angry with God for his physical disability, or maybe he did believe in God and chose not to acknowledge His existence.  I don’t know, as I did not have the pleasure of knowing him.

I pray that God will have mercy on the soul of Stephen Hawking, and I pray that out of his family members, at least, one of them is a Christian who prayed for his soul.  I pray this for every one who is a non-believer or atheist, or agnostic, or whatever you may call yourself.  Psalm 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands.”  Is that not a great verse?  Huh, great minds do think alike!

Take care, and God bless!

Chris