“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” Psalm 19:1 ESV
My mother in law has a small sign sitting on the windowsill over her kitchen sink that says, “Lord, let me not pass by the beauty in this day.”
As a mom of three littles, my days can be a blur of mundane motion. Cook. Clean the kitchen. Pack lunches. Reading logs. Laundry. Shop for groceries. Take out the trash. Two different school drop offs and pick ups. None of the tasks are particularly difficult or time consuming, but all together, they make for a sense of constant rush.Then Covid-19 happened.
Becoming a home-school (or crisis-school, as I’ve seen it called) family overnight was challenging, and yet, I loved that we all slowed down. Considerably. We began taking family walks daily, sometimes multiple times a day. We drew with chalk in the driveway, rode bikes and scooters, and ate outside more in a few months than we had in the entire previous year. We began really paying attention and noticing nature all around us. I know these plants and animals aren’t new, but for possibly the first time ever, we all stopped long enough to notice. And notice we did:
A crane walking in shallow water and catching a fish in her beak. A bird build her nest, lay eggs, and care for her babies. A snake eat all the baby birds. (I’m still upset about this one.) Lightning bugs every night. Fish jumping out of the water. Laying in the grass and watching clouds pass by overhead. A cherry tree go from dormant, to bud, to blossoms, to leaves. Finding constellations in the night sky. Squirrels in a loud fight, running up and down a tree. (Who knew squirrels made noises?) Praying mantis. Lady bugs. Butterflies. Frogs. Lizards. The LOUDEST cicadas you have ever heard.
While I am thankful for this slower pace and time with my family, I have to acknowledge– this was always available. Laying on the grass looking at clouds with my kids was always an option. Did I take it? Marveling at the changing seasons around me isn’t a new opportunity. Did I simply miss it before? I tend to really appreciate nature when I am at the beach or in the mountains, but God’s creation is not something to be noticed only when I’m on vacation.
The simple truth is, when I notice the beauty of the earth, when I really stop to appreciate creation– that’s when I begin to appreciate the Creator.
The heavens declare the glory of God. Do we?
Challenge yourself to sit outside today– not multitasking– simply sitting and taking in God’s creation.
Lord, thank you for this beautiful creation of yours. Let us not pass by the beauty in this day. Let us not pass by You. Amen.