Revel In His Majesty

This time of the year, I like to go out and see what is flying around the flower beds and other flora in the yard.  We don’t have a lot of that kind of thing.  We have a small, mixed annual flower bed in the front, some rose bushes, a fish pond with some assorted plant life growing around it, and a few bushes that flower.  But the wildlife that comes around seems rather amazing to me.

I’ve seen several kinds of butter lies and also dragonflies.  I don’t know much about either species.  I just know they are beautiful to look at and can do some amazing acrobatics as they flit from flower to flower and plant to plant.  Nor do I know where they come from.  Maybe they come from the park behind our place.  Maybe they fly in from the neighbors.  Or maybe they are migrating somehow from one place to another far, far away.  I just don’t know.

What I do know is that there is an incredible diversity in animal life, whether butterflies or mammals or bacteria.  I know that each has a place in the ecosystem, and each has a job to do.  And I know that each was placed where it was by Someone who knew what he was doing when he designed things many eons ago.

You might try going out into your yard one day and just look around to see what you can see.  How many different kinds of grass and weeds are growing in your yard?  What do you see flying around?  Turn over a rock and see what’s under it.  Dig a shovel of dirt and look through it.  How many colors of flowers do you see?  What about those things that are flying around your porch light at night?  How many different kinds of them are there?  Do you see any spiders?  Toads?  Lizards?  Snakes?  They’re there…if you look.

Find some niche places in your yard and plant some things that attract butterflies, birds, insects, or other animal life.  The area doesn’t have to be large; nor does it have to be intensively cultivated, fertilized, etc.  Plant some milkweed and watch for the monarchs as they migrate. Plant some butterfly bushes, trumpet vines, or other eye-catching flora.

Set out a hummingbird feeder.  Feed the other birds in the winter when food is scarce.  You’ll see cardinals, juncos, and other winter birds flock to the feeder.  Buy a good bird identification guide and use it.  If you’re a photographer, get a camera with a long zoom and maybe an inexpensive tripod and take photos.  Use a free program on your PC or tablet to fix and enhance those photos, including cropping.  You can get some marvelous shots that way.

But above all, find some way to enjoy God’s creative glory.  Whatever you do and however you do it, revel in the majesty that is His for us to enjoy.