An article I read this week on quantamagazine.org focuses on what makes individuals unique. An experiment on fruit flies revealed that even when genetically identical, fruit flies show many variations in behavior. This is true even when the flies were raised in the exact same environment. Some strains of fly move together like well-trained soldier while other strains are like dancers, each moving to their own beat. Researchers have identified a gene that, when blocked, makes it more likely that a strain of flies will be dancers. Manipulating neurons in the flies’ brains led to even more variability. The flexible brains of human beings cause us to be much more effected by individual experiences. The smallest of variations at any point in life can lead to profound differences.
We are, without question, shaped by our experiences, environment, and the people we choose to be spend our time with. Some of these influences are under our control. Some are not. For that which is under our control, we must make choices that reflect knowledge of God’s intentions. In 1 Cor. 1:2 we read, “He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours” (NLT). We are to be dedicated to God in every aspect of our lives. Sometimes, even with good planning, life doesn’t turn out the way we want it to. In these times, Know that God “causes everything to work together for the good of those that love God” (Rom. 8:28, NLT). God works in all of life’s variations.
