“Then God said, ‘Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.’ And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.” –Genesis 1:11-12, NIV
When our loving Creator prepared the world we now inhabit, he wanted us to love it. He wanted us to enjoy living in it. The great variety of plants, animals, and habitats is our proof. God could have made one kind of tree, one kind of flower, weather that never changed, a standard sunrise and sunset to repeat every morning and evening, and one geological environment for all. Instead, he gave us a world that is ever changing, full of discoveries for us to make—enough to keep us busy until he takes us to heaven, where I have no doubt we’ll make exciting discoveries throughout eternity.
I remember when my youngest son bought his first hamster. He
wanted Chewbacca to enjoy his new home and took time to fill the cage with
food, water, bedding, and toys for the hamster to find and arrange. When Chewy
went to work, my son was delighted.
Similarly, God is delighted, I believe, when we
discover, appreciate, and use all he’s provided for our earthly home. We enjoy
his gifts. He enjoys our enjoyment of them.
So here are a few assignments to encourage Creation appreciation: first, go outside into your backyard or to a nearby park. Draw or take pictures of every kind of plant you see. Use your phone’s identification app to learn names and uses of unfamiliar plants. This will give you just a taste of Creation’s variety.
My survey started before I left the house; inside, I have
spider plants, pothos, amaryllis, orchids, and five kinds of succulents all propagating
themselves beyond my control. Outside, I have cedar, Douglas fir, vine maple,
western red bud, Asian pear, ginkgo, lilac, apple, and cherry trees. Tulips, three
kinds of lilies, crocuses, daffodils, poppies, rhododendron, and crocosmia
bloom in spring. In my lawn, I find grass, dandelions, clover, and several types of mushrooms (which are not plants, but look like them). I also have
blackberry vines, Oregon grapes, heather, coneflowers, St. John’s wort, miniature
roses, and a cactus. This list only contains the plants I can think of and name
off the top of my head. There are others. I need to complete the assignment.
Yet these are the plants of just one small plot of land among all the millions of plots of land all over the world.
So, after you make your
list of plants you observe in your backyard or a nearby park, borrow a book
from the library about plants in your area and use it to learn more. One book about plants in our area contains 500 pages featuring multiple plants on every page. Just try to imagine how many
plants exist throughout our world. I googled it and found answers ranging from
350,000 to 435,000. The most authoritative estimate is 390,900, with a
disclaimer that the number changes constantly as scientists make new
discoveries and some plants become extinct.
We teach children that in the beginning, God created plants, trees, fruit, and seeds. As adults, however, we can appreciate the Creator's work more fully as we continue to learn about this world and look forward to finding more in heaven throughout eternity.
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Photo by Lisa Forkner on Unsplash
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