A young man once wanted to find out how geckos changed colour and so postulated that they must change colour based on what they see around them. If the environment is dark, their skin changes to a darker shade and if it’s light then their skin becomes light as well. So based on this assumption, he blind-folded the gecko and placed it on a different coloured surface but to his amazement it still changed colour. So then confused, the young man decided to try something strange, he covered the gecko’s abdomen and repeated the experiment. This time the gecko didn’t change colour. Amazingly he later found out that there are special pigments on the side of the abdomen of the gecko that is called “opsin” and this special pigment is also the very same pigment in our eyes that helps us to see. In other words, the gecko sees the environment its body is on using the skin of its abdomen and changes colour accordingly.
Although Jesus created all the lizards on the 6th day, one would think that He would put the same mechanism of colour change in all lizards that have the ability to change colour for camouflage. But believe it or not, this is not true. Take for example the chameleon, another lizard that changes colour that is found in the African continent. You would think that it changes colour in the same way but you would be wrong. In fact scientists have found that chameleons change colour by stretching and relaxing very tiny crystals (made of a protein called guanine). When light shines through these crystals when they are in a relaxed state, then blue and green light is reflected and the colour of the animal is blue or green. If the animal is excited, in display for mating or angry, then it stretches the crystals which then reflect the longer wavelengths of light the colours red and yellow. It is amazing that Jesus put all this thought into creatures we take as insignificant!
Just like the light these creatures reflect so that they may communicate emotions or to simply hide away, we too are to reflect a greater light. The light of the gospel we receive should convert us from the inside out and shine out to those in the darkness that they too may experience the love of God and come to know Christ! Like the parable of the talents, to whom much light of the gospel is given, much more will be required of him. Let us shine with the glory and power of Christ!