Let me explain. I was quietly sitting on a bench in our yard. It sits next to a row of small trees. Hanging down from the limb of one of the leafy green branches is a long cylindrical bird feeder. We enjoy watching our feathered friends come to eat,socialize, and chatter back and forth with one another. It's almost like a Starbucks for the aviary set.
Two beautiful bright yellow finches perched themselves on the sticks that protrude from various places on the feeder. They immediately went about their business of eating. I was drawn to watch. Their yellow feathers so starkly contrasting with the verdant green of the leaves that framed them. I was in a peaceful state of repose.
Although I was in a tranquil state, my mind started to wander down an active trail of thought. I started to contemplate birds. Yes, birds! I began to mentally catalogue the various sizes, body types, feather color variations, shapes of beaks, etc., etc., of the birds that I had recall of from my personal observations. Then, as my imagination really started to race, I could picture the Dodo, hawks, eagles, chickens, even ostriches. Hopefully, you will see where I am going with all of this?
In the theater of my mind, I was able to view only a small sliver of God's wondrous winged creation. Inspired by just two chatty finches, gobbling black seeds of rye, I panned a scene of all of the different birds that I could possibly imagine. Yet knowing ,that my brain could only recall or conjure up even a minuscule sample of the types that actually exist in our world.
I was in awe, wonder, and deeply humbled. "How could anyone not believe that in the face of such creative beauty, that there is no Creator?" I pondered. Then, the scripture from Romans 1:20,21 came to me, " for since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse". The scripture seemed to gently wrap itself around the scene that I was beholding with my eyes and in my mind. " For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal men and animals and birds and reptiles". An alternative updated phrase might be..and exchanged the glory of God for government intervention, wealth, rugged individualism, humanism, socialism,evolution, the solutions from higher education, human achievement, etc.,etc., etc.. What an indictment!
Little would I have known, how that by relaxing on a simple bench, enjoying the wonder of two birds; I would be humbled before God. But I was. This is not to say that nature doesn't always have this mystical magical effect of overwhelming the heart. Yet, we don't always have to encounter a brilliant scarlet sunset, or Grand Canyon moment to be bowled over by God. All it takes is to treasure the moment that exists, usually right before our very eyes. Staying humble, and being thankful.
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