God in Nature
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As I mentioned, I have just recently finished reading The Scarlet Thread by Francine Rivers. In the book, Sierra, the main character, mentions something along the lines of realizing that perhaps God created beauty in nature, not as much to bless us with beautiful things to see, but rather to help us see Him in nature – to teach us about Himself.
I found that interesting, because it reminded me of something that Jimmie posted about awhile back. She said essentially the same thing in one of my favorite of her posts. She was talking about why Christian homeschooling parents have a duty to study nature with their children because God reveals Himself in nature. I’ve linked to her post and I urge you to go read it because she really says it better than I could since it was, you know, her epiphany, not mine.
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 display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. (Psalm 19:1-3)
If you’re interested in beginning nature study, but don’t know where to begin, I highly recommend The Handbook of Nature Study blog. Our family really needs to get back to our nature study. It’s one of those things that tends to fall by the wayside, but that shouldn’t be. The Scarlet Thread and Jimmie’s post remind me that nature study is a beautiful way to draw my family and I closer to the Creator of all things beautiful.
All Things Bright and Beautiful
by Cecil Frances Alexander
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.
Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colours,
made their tiny wings.
The rich man in his castle,
The poor man at his gate,
God made them, high or lowly,
And ordered their estate.
The purple-headed mountain,
The river running by,
The sunset, and the morning,
That brightens up the sky;
The cold wind in the winter,
The pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden,
He made them every one.
The tall trees in the greenwood,
The meadows where we play,
The rushes by the water,
We gather every day;
He gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell,
How great is God Almighty,
Who has made all things well.
photo credit the green party of ireland on flickr
Kris Bales is a newly-retired homeschool mom and the quirky, Christ-following, painfully honest founder (and former owner) of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. She has a pretty serious addiction to sweet tea and Words with Friends. Kris and her husband of over 30 years are parents to three amazing homeschool grads. They share their home with three dogs, two cats, a ball python, a bearded dragon, and seven birds.
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Wow! That brought back a memory of singing that song when I was very young. It is such a good one. Thanks for reminding me of that!
I love Handbook of Nature Study, too! I want to incorporate more of their challenges into our curriculum next year.
Beth @ applesandjammies.blogspot.com
You and I are thinking along the same lines. I am reading Pocketful of Pinecones and I am thinking about starting a nature study notebook. Maybe the warmer weather is making us want to get out more.
I often feel closest to God watching a beautiful sunset, listening to birds sing, watching a butterfly, or watching stars spread throughout the night sky. I am continually in awed of beauty He surrounds us with. I would love to incorporate more of that into our homeschooling adventures. I’ll be checking out the sites you recommended! Thanks!!
Congratulations! You are a prize winner. Stay tuned…
I struggle with the whole nature study thing though I do like to get out in it, I haven’t brought a sketchbook yet! Handbook of Nature Studies doesn’t work too well in Florida 🙁