Love Notes
Perhaps I have never understood the phrase “through the eyes of a child” better than I have this spring. Being a lover of the outdoors ever since I was knee-high to a grasshopper and a horticulturalist now in my professional life, I’ve always marveled at the small intricacies of the various plants, flowers, and trees that made up my surroundings. Yet not until I had children did I begin again making time to get down on my hands and knees to admire them for what they are. I like to think of them as God’s “love notes” to us here on earth.
The delicate white bells which hang from the Lily of the Valley stem almost going undetected nestled amongst the lush green leaves…
The striking purple petals of the tiny dutch iris -- the first to show themselves after the long, cold winter -- each adorned with a brilliant blotch of sapphire blue…
The small clusters of blooms bursting forth along the limbs of the redbud tree appearing even before the leaves begin to emerge…
The sweet scent which lingers near the crabapple trees making it nearly impossible for a passer-by bumbler not to stop for just one quick pollinating second…
Even the small wild strawberries growing along the path at one of our parks produces a gorgeous, delicate white flower, each adorned with five perfectly-shaped petals.
There are so many ways God could’ve created the world differently. Did He really have to create so many different colors of flowers? Did He have to create flowers at all? Couldn’t He have accomplished the process of pollination and growth through some other much more boring means, lacking any sort of pleasure what-so-ever for us as human beings?
And just think of all of the wonderful variation of trees! Glance out the nearest window and you’ll notice more differing shades of green than you could ever even distinguish. Or take the bark of a birch tree – why create it to be any different than all of the others? Why cause the leaves of some trees to turn brilliant shades of orange, gold, and red at certain times of the year? And why create others to retain their green state even though the frigid winter months?
The answer is simple but means so much.
Because He LOVES us.
Yes, the beauties of creation no doubt show the ultimate power and glory of our God -- for He formed them out of nothing:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. ~Genesis 1:1-2
But yet to simply create a working, inhabitable world was not enough for Him. God wanted to make it absolutely GORGEOUS. All of creation is a declaration of His love for us.
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth. ~Psalm 19:1-6
Yes, what an absolutely beautiful world He created. May we always find the time to admire it with the “eyes of a child” and see it for what it truly is: God’s love notes to each of us.
