Observing Creation from My Porch

“For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens;
God himself that formed the earth and made it;
he hath established it, he created it not in vain,
he formed it to be inhabited:
I am the LORD; and there is none else.”
Isaiah 45:18

Ever since I was a little girl picking clover to put in a vase for the family dinner table, collecting butterflies and honeybees in a jar to study them up close or catching minnows and tadpoles with my siblings to feed our ducks, I have loved nature. I still do and have recently fallen in love again with observing Creation each day. As I sit on the coolness of our white, metal shell chairs to listen and watch nature take its course, I see the seasons gracefully changing before me. There’s no doubt that the Creator exists and created the world for us to enjoy with Him.

Observing Creation’s natural beauty, from the comfort of my porch, is one of my renewed favorite hobbies. If time allowed, I could sit outside for hours in the quiet of the morning or evening. It calms my head and comforts my heart as it melts life’s sadness and stresses away. It intrigues and inspires me. It motivates me to work better. It stirs my creativity. It helps me focus on good things while forgetting the bad. It makes me want to know more about my Creator, His feathered and furry creatures, and all the lovely wildflowers.

The other day, as my husband and I were outside observing the squirrels, gathering their winter stash of nuts, we had a surprise visitor. One of our neighbor’s chickens came by to say hey and check out the corn in my bird feeders. She cautiously crossed the railroad tracks and came right over to our porch to chat with us. She was a soft, beautiful red color, extra friendly, and just plain cute. We named her, “Checkpoint Chickie” (named from a term used by Barney Fife in an Andy Griffith Show episode). She came to visit again yesterday, and let me pet her for the price of a handful of corn. Then, she gracefully strutted back home the same way she came.

It’s thrilling to think that God created the world for us to live in. He didn’t create it for himself, just for something to do, to occupy His time, or to proudly express His creativity. He created the world for us to inhabit and thrive among the things he made so that we can live the abundant lives He desires for us. Nothing we provide for ourselves can ever compare to what God created.

“Charge them that are rich in this world,
that they be not highminded,
nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God,
who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;”
1 Timothy 6:17

It’s so easy to get busy, shut ourselves inside, and miss out on the beauty transpiring in front of us. We don’t have to travel around the world to see God’s wonders. They are right outside our doors. All we have to do is stop, go outside, and observe them.

 “For by him were all things created,
that are in heaven, and that are in earth,
visible and invisible, whether they be
thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers:
all things were created by him, and for him:”
Colossians 1:16

Bring It Home

Do you have a special place where you like to observe Creation?

Praying for you as we grow together,

Smiles, BRC