“I hate math!”
When I was a little girl, I took math tutoring lessons with my pastor’s wife, who was also a middle school teacher. I remember being super excited to start because I wanted to show off and brag about my math skills.
But my sessions with her completely broke my pride. I hated doing the difficult math problems she gave me, especially since those problems were 10 times harder than the math I did at school. In fact, this was math I had never even seen before!
As time passed, I noticed that I could understand math differently from my classmates. Though I was never the top overall student, I still found math to be one of my best subjects in high school. So, when I started applying to colleges, I decided to pursue a major in mathematics.
To me, math isn’t just numbers — math is like a game. I am presented with a problem and I can use formulas and different approaches to find the solution. Though it may be frustrating at times, especially when I spend an hour on one problem and realize that I still got the wrong answer, the feeling that I get when I finally obtain the correct answer is so exhilarating. I enjoy the complexity of math and the way that numbers and abstract concepts come together to formulate big concepts or theorems.
I enjoy the way that math is integrated into all areas of life itself. But what I’ve come to enjoy most about math is that God has used it as a means to further reveal His infinite self to all of creation.
The Infinite Complexity of God vs Limited Humans
Sometimes I sit in class and get distracted by my phone. Then when I look back at the board, the whole surface is filled with new symbols and equations, and I am completely lost. I often think to myself, “Man. It must be nice to be God because then I would be able to understand all this nonsense in a blink of an eye.”
After all, God is infinite in wisdom and knowledge (Rom. 11:33). He is the giver of all knowledge that exists in this world (Prov. 2:6) and has dominion over this world and everything in it (Ps. 103:19).
But I believe math is intricate and complex for a reason. Math is one of the tools God uses to reveal his power and establish his authority on earth. Through equations and algorithms, we can get a glimpse of the infinite complexity of God himself.
Math has so many different aspects to it that there is not one human being on this planet that can fully comprehend the subject of mathematics. For example, there are so many math problems that remain unsolved in this world, including the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture and the Hodge conjecture — two of the seven problems from the Millennium Prize Problems. Knowing that there are still so many undiscovered areas of math can only display to us the infinite knowledge of God and His command over the mathematics of creation.
To be honest, I still get very frustrated when I can’t seem to wrap my head around a certain concept. I stare at my notes, waiting for it to just click in my head. But it just doesn’t happen. My frustration and irritation from not understanding a proof or theorem is a reminder that I am a mortal, finite human being with a limited capacity for knowledge. Yet God shows me grace. When I finally understand a certain concept or obtain the correct answer, I praise God for finally giving me a break and also for revealing another part of his creation to me.
The Comfort of Infinity
God is the author and creator of all things, including the concept of numbers and counting (Gen. 1:5). When we study math, we are actually attempting to grasp the depth of God’s constant infinite being. When we come to this deep understanding that God is constant and infinite, what we come to realize is that we can find comfort. Why? Because what we realize is nothing surprises God. There is nothing He has not seen before or does not know. He created it, after all.
His infinity and immutability tell us that the God of the Bible who said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31), the God who promises to redeem his people in Isaiah 49, the God found in the person of Jesus, who promises to be with his disciples until the very end in Matthew 28, is the same God we worship today.
And it doesn’t just end today. It is everlasting. The more we understand this concept of God being constant and infinite, the more it ought to amaze us, thus deriving increasing satisfaction in our holy creator. And the more satisfied we are in Christ, the more glory Christ receives.
So Christians especially should view math as another beautiful creation resulting in God’s grace for us. We can use numbers to understand and complete our daily tasks. If we didn’t have numbers or math classes in school that taught us how to problem solve, how would we be able to be the people we are today? How would society function the way it does?
Furthermore, math classes not only teach us how to use “eigenvalues” and “eigenvectors” but they also develop in us a patient problem-solving mindset. Solving a difficult math problem teaches us discipline. It teaches us perseverance. It teaches us self-control. It can help develop in us the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23).
Personally, through math, God has taught me how to grow in patience, how to endure long-suffering, and how to work hard. God uses the math classes that we take to grow us and mature us to be more like Christ. There are still days when I am very unappreciative of the several math classes I take and don’t want to be there at all, but God reminds me of His purpose for my schooling.
God reminds me that he has given me a mind to think, to process, and to expand in knowledge. The more I’m reminded of this truth, the more in awe of God I become each day. Going to school and having the opportunity to learn is simply a blessing from God, ever since the beginning. It isn’t my intelligence nor my hard work alone that brought me to college, but instead, it is truly by the grace of God that I have the capability and desire to learn and to think the way I do today.
When I reflect upon how big God is and how small I am in comparison to Him, my reverence for God grows deeper (Ps. 147:5). When God reminds me of how my talent and studies in math are a gift from Him, I am encouraged to continue to study and work hard, wisely stewarding the skills that Christ has graciously given to me. And as God continually shows me the infinite wonder of Himself through the vast understanding of mathematics, I am further drawn closer to the beauty of the gospel of Christ, who is full of constant,
everlasting love.