“For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.” (Colossians 1:16) Why do we have leap year? “A calendar year is typically 365 days long. These so called “common years” loosely define the number of days it takes the Earth to complete one orbit around the Sun. But 365 is actually a rounded number. It takes Earth 365.242190 days to orbit the Sun, or 365 days 5 hours 48 minutes and 56 seconds. This “sidereal” year is slightly longer than the calendar year, and that extra 5 hours 48 minutes and 56 seconds needs to be accounted for somehow.”- (Full article at: https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/science-leap-year )

Thinking about planets and stars may sometimes seem like theoretical topics with little consequence to everyday life. But today (being a leap year) is a great example of how this topic effects everyone. And how incredible it is that our planet is so perfect. Given today’s scripture verse, none of this should be a surprise. God created the Earth for us, His creation, to flourish. The fact that we have a planet that orbits a perfectly suitable sun. A planet that is big enough to hold an atmosphere but small enough that its gravity doesn’t crush us. A planet with a molten core that helps keep our temperature stable, and at the same time generates a magnet “force field” that keeps out unwanted cosmic rays. A moon that steadies the planetary wobble – and by the way is perfectly sized and at the perfect distance to completely cover the sun during an eclipse. These things did not occur by chance. Our planet, the stars and everything in between “have been created through Him [God] and for Him.” So today, take some time to marvel at God’s creation because everything in heaven and on earth is of His design.