8 August | Youth
«They sow the wind, and reap the whirlwind.» Hosea 8:7
On February 19, 1998, the United States weather forecast system computers reported the formation of a tropical storm over the state of Louisiana. At the same time, a meteorologist from the same agency discovered that there was a small difference in the displacement of air masses in Alaska. Due to the differences, they added this data into the computers. When the calculations were remade, meteorologists predicted that the tropical storm in Louisiana would not occur, but rather a strong tornado would form in Florida, which actually occurred on February 22, 1998.
This is one of the examples of the “butterfly effect,” first observed in 1963 by the American mathematician and meteorologist Edward Lorenz. The butterfly effect is part of chaos theory which, in general terms, states that a tiny change at the beginning of any event can have huge and unknown consequences in the future.
Lorenz developed a model that simulated the evolution of climatic conditions on a computer. Indicating the initial values of winds and temperatures, the machine was responsible for simulating the weather forecast. Lorenz found that slight changes in initial conditions caused disproportionate effects.
Based on his observations, Lorenz formulated equations that showed the “butterfly effect.” According to him, “the flapping of a simple butterfly's wings could influence the natural course of things and thus perhaps cause a typhoon on the other side of the world.” Interesting, right?
Lorenz's observation draws our attention to small situations in life that can cause catastrophic results. As happens in an avalanche –which begins with a small pebble that breaks away from the top of the mountain and becomes an immense mass of snow and ice– our words, our gestures and our thoughtless actions can trigger an avalanche of problems. The prophet Hosea had already warned that whoever sows wind reaps storm (Hos 8:7). What have you sown in your life? Good or bad things? Beware of the little “butterflies” that cause hurricanes of problems. Seek God first, and He will take care of your “weather forecast.”