TIP 32. APPRECIATING NATURE
There is little doubt that we live on a beautiful planet, that has been strategically positioned within our solar system to optimise the best possible lifestyle for it's inhabitants. If we were one planet closer to the sun we would all fry, one planet further away and we would be ice cubes. One of the more enjoyable outings that a family can experience is a trip into nature and the great outdoors!
The more we explore the wonderful creation we live in, the greater we can see the hand and wisdom of God. I have had the opportunity to live in some of the most beautiful areas of our nation, each with it's own individual characteristics and uniqueness, and have seen 'our Father's' artistic touch everywhere. Truly it is in nature that God has shown off His amazing creativity and faithfulness.
God's faithfulness is seen in the things that He has made, they are an ever present testimony declaring His splendour. It is possible however for us to drive right past the beautiful things in nature in the busyness of our day to day living. In the rush to 'make a living' we can forget to 'live' and enjoy the ride.
There are times in life when the circumstances around us may seem very difficult, and it is 'hard to see light at the end of the tunnel'. It is at these times especially, that we need to take the time to appreciate and connect with all the beautiful things that surround us daily.
Have you stopped the rush long enough to listen to the birds singing, or sat quietly and watched the clouds floating through the sky? Have you rested on the beach and watched the waves roll in, or been amazed at the multitudes of stars in the night sky? Have you looked at the intricacy that is held within a single flower petal, or tried to guess how many pores there are in the palm of your hand?
If we as fathers can learn to appreciate the beauty of the creation around us and understand the faithfulness of God that is revealed in it, then we can pass on an excellent gift to our children.
Dads' Call To Action:
Take the time to 'smell the roses' with your children, impart to them your love for nature and teach them how it reveals the faithfulness of God.
(Matthew 6 v 28-30)
"So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?