Session 37
How much beauty do you miss every day?
From Genesis: A 7-Week Devotional
Parents who take walks with young children know any walk with a toddler will be a long one. Toddlers stop whenever something attracts their attention — and everything attracts their attention!
Kids see things we wish they didn’t, like discarded chewing gum or doggy presents. But, they also see what we miss. The tiniest flower amongst the weeds? They want to touch, even taste it. The stare in wonder and tug at our clothes, saying "Look! Look!"
When we’re too busy to look as children do, we can miss the miracles around us:
- an entire ‘crayon box’ used for a sunset
- weeds, breaking through the hard asphalt of a seldom-used roadway to find the sun
- the deep red cardinal perching on a still-green branch
- a doe on the side of the road, waiting for her fawn to timidly stand beside her
- the magnificence of a soaring hawk
Nature with all its intricacy and lavishness has been around since God spoke it into being and pronounced His work "good." The first verses of Genesis tell the story. Imagine it! The incredible planning, detail, and orderly preparation!
First, nothing but God. Then, all of nature! Within days, God dots His sky with birds, His earth with animals. His oceans fill with fish and swimming mammals. Then life is breathed into mankind — from no life to abundant life with God’s voice!
Just as inquisitive toddlers want us to see what they see, our Lord says, “Look! See what I have prepared!” As in the beginning, He wants us to come from no life without Him, to abundant life with Him. He calls to us as He did to all Creation: “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8).
Reflect:
- What does God’s intricate planning for life tell you about His character?
- What is one step you can take to be more intentional in appreciating what God has prepared for you?
- Has there been a moment in your life when you began a relationship with Jesus and moved from no life without God to abundant life with God? It not, you can do it today.