The name Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (1845-1923) is probably unknown to most of us. But what Wilhelm discovered is known to probably all of us because we’ve been exposed to his creation. It was on November 8, 1895 that he discovered X-rays.
“Röntgen’s discovery occurred accidentally in his Wurzburg, Germany, lab, where he was testing whether cathode rays could pass through glass when he noticed a glow coming from a nearby chemically coated screen. He dubbed the rays that caused this glow X-rays because of their unknown nature.
“X-rays are electromagnetic energy waves that act similarly to light rays, but at wavelengths approximately 1,000 times shorter than those of light. Röntgen holed up in his lab and conducted a series of experiments to better understand his discovery. He learned that X-rays penetrate human flesh but not higher-density substances such as bone or lead and that they can be photographed.”1
As would be expected, X-rays were first used for medical purposes on the battlefields during the Balkan Wars in 1897. However, the most popular use was in an area that would surprise us.
Shoe stores.
During the early to mid-20th century, shoe stores advertised their “fluoroscopes” which would X-ray your foot and provide a more accurate measurement, ensuring that you would get the best fitting shoe and that the shoe would last longer. This became significant for children who still outgrow shoes nearly as soon as you buy them! By the 1950s, the practice of fluoroscoping the feet was deemed unsafe as the dangers of excessive X-rays were coming to light.2
Today, the medical field uses X-rays carefully even though they have fine tuned the
amount of exposure and the dosage of the radiation delivered to the body. We are still cautioned about the overuse of X-rays and the possibilities of it causing cancer and birth defects in pregnant women. Doesn’t it make you think twice when you are being X-rayed, dressed only in a flimsy hospital gown, and all the technicians hide behind a shield and are wearing protective garments?
Toy manufacturers cashed in on the technology, creating a novelty item called X-ray glasses. Obviously, this couldn’t work as advertised but comics monopolized on the concept of being able to “see through” someone’s clothing, exposing an individual in their underwear – or less. This caused great embarrassment to the individual and great humor to the sick, perverted minds of the voyeur.
Here’s something that is real that ought to embarrass us. Proverbs 5:21 says, “For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings.”
God has something far better than X-ray vision. He is able to see us on the surface. He sees our skin. He looks beyond and sees our bones, muscle, and organs. He look even further and sees every cell that comprises our body. And He sees directly into our soul, discerning the “thought and intents of the heart.” Proverbs 15:3 says, “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.”
We thought we got away with something? We thought nobody saw? We thought that our thoughts never expressed in action went unnoticed? GOD sees. GOD notices. There is nothing is hidden from God! It’s impossible to hide from His probing gaze.
Today, know that God is taking careful and accurate inventory of every aspect of our lives. Nothing escapes His attention. We should desire to be found walking as we should. And if we need a little bit more motivation and encouragement in this area, let 1 Corinthians 4:5 speak to you.
“Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.”
1https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/november-8/german-scientist-discovers-x-rays
2https://americacomesalive.com/x-ray-shoe-fitting-machine/
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