Amazing Creation

A Florida Sandhill crane in our front yeard.

     Over the years, I have developed a love for the birds that are native to our area.   On our early morning walks, we hear the song of the Mockingbird and frankly, I am quite impressed by his range of melody.  Then there is the clear "do-wop" sound made by the cardinals.  However, there is one bird whose call is so distinctive that no one can ever forget it when they hear it.  A loud bugling sound comes from the majestic Florida Sandhill crane.  Occasionally we see a pair when we go on our walks but two weeks ago I had a surprise.
     Outside our front window maybe ten feet from our house was a pair of Sandhill cranes.  I counted this a gift from God because of their beauty.  Some folks do not like these birds because they can tear up lawns hunting for grubs, but they are also a natural solution to many pests which trouble Florida grasslands.  These birds stand four feet tall and roam around in pairs.  Amazingly, they mate for life and live around twenty years.
     As I observed this pair of birds, I thought of how great and infinite is God's creation.  Every marking, every detail is so precise.  A living, breathing creature to see and enjoy.  How I praised God for His wonderful creation.  Who can look at nature and not see God everywhere!?  Yet, sinful man does not see or appreciate the wondrous beauty of all that God has made.  In fact, he cannot because he is blind.
     In Paul's letter to the Romans, he writes:  "For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.  For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.  So they are without excuse" (Romans 1:19-20).  When I read this verse, I am reminded of an interesting point made during the viewing of "The Truth Project" (by Focus on the Family).  Francis Crick, the gifted scientist who unlocked the mystery of the DNA strand along with Watson his partner, does not accept the fact that God created the universe.  Instead, he believed in "Transpermia".  This is the notion that  an alien spacecraft came to earth and implanted seeds which brought about creation. Can you believe this?  A Nobel prize winning scientist who has unlocked the secrets of DNA believes in alien space ships as the cause of creation?  Man can go to great extents to avoid facing the reality of God the author of all creation.
     Is it any wonder then that the sanctity of human life has been devalued?  If we are nothing more than  the stuff of primordial goo and we have no worth, then life is meaningless and all creation is also unimportant.  However, from the beginning, man has been made in the image of God and then, he was charged with overseeing this world and all the life which God has created.  The problem began when man fell into sin.  From that moment on, life became cheap  and all creation groaned for deliverance from the bondage of death.
     When I look at the beauty of God's infinite creation, I see life.  I see unbelievable design, color, beauty, grace and perfection.  There is no other explanation for the amazing creatures I observe aside from an almighty, perfect creator.  Only when Christ opens our eyes can we see reality and enjoy all that the Lord has made.
     Yes, I have always been an animal lover but never more since I have come to know the One who has made it all.  I worship Him for the creatures He has given me to observe, for the children He has allowed me to carry and for the grandchildren that He has graciously given to our children.  There is an abundance of proof all around us for the whole world to bow before the King of Kings.  Yet, man's heart is hardened unless the Holy Spirit draws Him.  If today, you feel that drawing of God's Spirit, I pray that you will open your heart, confess your sins and turn to God.
     If you are already a believer, then look with wonder at all which God has made.  It is but a poor imitation of the unbelievable glories of heaven which await us.  Nevertheless, the creatures which God has made will take your breath away.  Glory in the Lord who is our salvation.  Praise Him daily for the beauty He has made and know that He has even more in store for us as we walk with Him.  Selah !