Magnification

When I was teaching, the children always enjoyed the science lessons when we introduced them to microscopes. They’d learn how to set up the microscope and then they’d look at a blade of grass, a feather, a piece of material… draw it, describe the magnified object.

Magnify comes from two Latin words: ‘magnus’ – big, great, ‘facere’ to do, to make. Magnify means ‘to make bigger’. Of course when you magnify something you don’t actually make it bigger, you just make it appear bigger.

On Monday, at the Minsmere nature reserve, ‘magnifying’ the avocets through our binoculars we didn’t make the birds bigger; they just appeared bigger…

There’s a Christian concept that I learnt many years ago… When David says ‘Magnify the Lord with me’ (Psalm 34:3) he’s saying he can’t make his God any bigger, but by praising Him, He seems bigger.

At Christmas we’re reminded that Mary, told that she will be the mother of the Christ-child says, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour’ (Luke 1:46) Appreciating the angel Gabriel’s promise makes her see her God in a bigger way.

When John the Baptist says of Jesus, ‘He must increase and I must decrease.’ (John 3:30) he’s saying that Jesus’ importance must be magnified, and John’s importance reduced.

Yesterday a friend, who’s battled with addiction, reminded me of words from the AA twelve-step programme:

‘We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.’

There’s two forces working on the alcoholic: the addiction, God as we understand Him. As the Power greater than ourselves is magnified the power of the addiction is reduced.

I can magnify my problems or my God. Magnification doesn’t change the size of either, it just changes my perception. I choose which I focus my microscope on.