The Nuclear Option

 The nucleus is at the center of every atom that makes up the physical matter of our world. Once just a part of theory in physics, it was thought to be a potential source of tremendous energy. During World War II, scientists and researchers in what was known as the Manhattan Project showed that if the nucleus of an atom of uranium was bombarded with neutrons, it would start a chain reaction that could, if uncontrolled, lead to a massive release of energy, an explosion. This was demonstrated first in the New Mexico desert when an atomic bomb was detonated. Later, two bombs were constructed for use against Japan. President Truman had the awesome and frightful decision to exercise the first Nuclear Option, whether to use those two weapons against Japan. That he did so in August 1945 against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki shows that he made a difficult decision which killed thousands of people and brought about the surrender of Japan and an end to World War II. 

Today we have controlled nuclear detonations going on throughout the world in the production of electricity. The physics is still the same: nuclei being bombarded with neutrons in a controlled way to benefit us. A seemingly endless source of power used for our good. Yes, there are those people who disagree with nuclear energy, but for the most part, we have accepted that the benefits far outweigh the risks. 

There is another nucleus in our world: God. As believers in His existence, we know that He is the center of everything, the source of all of the power and energy. An atom has to give up part of its nucleus in order to start the chain reaction to create energy. God is infinite and gives each one of us a part of Himself when we are created. That part is our immortal soul, that part of us that is created in His image and likeness. God had the option whether to create all that He has, including us. Because He is allloving, He had to share that love and the part of that which benefits us is our creation. 

God gave many gifts to us when He created the human race. One of the greatest of these is that of free will. That means we have the choice to obey Him or not. We have the choice whether to believe in Him or not. That is our nuclear option: whether to believe in Him who created us all. That answer lies in the core of our being, our existence. At the very center of us, at the soul level, we know that God is our creator. Our soul is a part of Him and as a part of Him we know that He truly exists. There are many in the world around us who deny Him, who claim He does not exist. All they need to do is to look into their own nucleus and feel the wonderful loving presence of God. That they choose to not do so is their nuclear option, exercising the very gift of free will we have always had. 

Regardless of what we do with our lives, be it good or bad, we will always be a part of the loving God who created us and implanted in our own nucleus His undying love for us. Can we do less than return that love by following His laws and His desires for us? Reach all the way down into the very core of your being and listen to what He has planted there for you, the guidance that He has given each one of us to follow our own individual path to an eternity with Him.