Many of the men he worked with came from nothing—poor backgrounds like him. Their prejudice toward people of wealth was overwhelming. It came up in practically every conversation.
Dunking his head to rinse out all the soap from his hair, he held his breath. When he came up, he shook his head—releasing the water and clearing his thoughts.
Prejudice of any kind wasn’t honoring to God.All right, Lord, please help me to guard my thoughts and mindwhile I’m at work.
His shoulders relaxed and he sank into the water as deepas he could, allowing his legs to hang over the edge of the tin tub.
Being shaped by one’s environment was human nature. The people around, the opinions and words they said, the culture, the attitudes. All of it had an effect. He couldn’t allow that to happen though. As a follower of Christ, he had a higher calling. To be transformed—not conformed to the world. And that was probably one of the greatest struggles man faced. It was easy to get caught up in the quest for money or accolades. Hadn’t he experienced enough of that? He thought he’d learned his lesson, but like his grandfather said, it would be a continual battle until the day he died.
He’d simply have to do better.
He sat up. As he looked at the calendar on the wall, he smiled. In a couple days, he’d get to see Miss Jankowski again. The lecture on bugs was sure to be interesting, but the opportunity to discuss ideas with her again was even more so.
Over the course of the past week, he’d found himself thinking about her. Puzzling over her words and whatever mysterious work she had alluded to. It didn’t hurt that she was a lovely woman with blonde hair and those intriguing dark blue eyes. Not that he had any aspirations of courting a woman so far out of his class, but he could appreciate the beauty God had given her.
The water chilled quickly, so he got out and dried himself off. There was still a letter from his family to read tonight. Which also meant he would need to stay awake long enough to respond.
Feeling a bit refreshed after taking care of the water and tub, Jacob sat on the single chair in front of a tiny table and opened the letter from his family.
Mom’s beautiful script greeted him.
My Dearest Jacob,
Oh, how we have missed you these past months. I am writing on my own as the rest of the family is in bed, and I find myself praying for you and the work you are doing there.
My mother’s heart has expressed concern over your chosen education the past few years. You know your father and I will support you in your choices, but I have to say that the burden I am feeling for you is great. It feels even greater the longer you are gone.
Reverend Moody was here a couple of weeks ago and he prayed for you. In all his wisdom, he tried to convince me that you were being a light in the darkness, but my fear has still grown. Is there any chance you would consider coming home?
Jacob’s heart sank. It had been difficult to leave home because he loved his family—and because his desire to study paleontology had put a rift between his family and many members of their church. People who loved God but were fearful of the change in science since Darwin’s book was published.
Reverend Moody had encouraged him to follow his calling, telling him that believers should never fear science because they knew the Author. He was confident that—in time—they would find the proof they needed. Nothing could shake the Word of God.
That had been enough for Jacob to head out on his quest. But now he wasn’t so sure. Especially if his parents doubted him.
He finished the letter and laid the pages on the table. He swiped a hand down his face. Perhaps responding tonight wasn’t the best idea. He needed to pray.
His family meant the world to him. And the influence ofhis grandfather and Reverend Moody had been profound.Am I doing the wrong thing, God?
His desire to study archaeology and historical artifacts had turned to paleontology after he’d found his first fossilized bones. The intense longing to help the world understand God through science was profound. He had no idea how to accomplish it, but he still felt called.
But what if he was wrong?
Five
“I am sitting on the brow of a hill where the breeze can cool me and blow away the insects. ... The sky is a beautiful blue and it just struck me that there is no blue like that of the sky. It cannot be described only as sky blue. There are white clouds broken in many fragments and scattered beneath the blue. All the clouds are changing every minute.”
~Earl Douglass
MONDAY, APRIL15, 1889•UNIVERSITYOFDENVER
Martha stifled a yawn. The lecturer was expounding on the value of the ladybug in gardens. The red and black spotted insects were particularly useful in keeping other insects from destroying fruits and vegetables. He’d made that point three times.
“Now I will briefly address the benefit of the arachnid.” The older gentleman at the lectern pulled a sheet of paper out of a stack.
Martha shuddered. She wasn’t all too fond of bugs of any kind when they were alive. They gave her the shivers.
The worst were spiders.
