“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31 NIV)

picture courtesy of Pixabay

Geraldine studied the leaf she had plucked from the tree in her front yard. She was an art student and had been assigned the task of doing a watercolor painting, in great detail, of something in nature. She had chosen a leaf, thinking, “How hard can painting a leaf be?”

After several failed attempts, she finally went back outside and got another leaf off the tree. She held them both up in the sunlight and noticed the leaves were not just one solid color of green. There were several shades of green intertwined and even some yellow and a little brown here and there. The veining in the leaves was far more complicated than she imagined. It seemed to reach out to all sections of the leaf, to send nourishment where needed. It looked delicate and skillfully woven. A bug had taken a few bites from one leaf.

She laughed. She had never thought of a leaf as a ‘Fly-In Diner’ before.

She held the leaves up to the sunlight once more,  and one appeared to be nearly transparent,  more so than the other, the sun marking the intricate details that could be missed if you looked at them without its help. One was a little greener than the other, less yellow.

Geraldine carried the leaf with the bug bite back in the house. She sat at her drawing/painting easel and studied the leaf some more. As she did, she talked to her Father about it.

“Father, You’re amazing. Look at this leaf. Something we take for granted every day. You made it so beautiful. And not only is it beautiful, it also has the task of transforming sunlight into food, or energy, for the tree*.  And, in turn, the tree provides homes for birds, shade from the sun and food for Your tinier creatures. I just think that’s amazing.”

Geraldine started a new painting, chatting with her Father as her brush strokes formed the intricate detail of the common leaf we see every day. She wanted to show just how beautiful the leaf is. And so she added the colors as she saw them, detailed the veining as elegant as it was on the leaf and even included the place where the bug had dined, and painted that bug flying away after his meal. That made her laugh again.

When she finished, she sat back and looked at her painting, and said, “Well, Father, it’s not as beautiful as Yours, but it’ll do. Thank You for opening my eyes to the detail You put into everything You created. I can’t wait to go back outside and take a closer look at flowers, and tree bark, and even some bugs. Show me, Lord, I want to look deeper into Your handiwork.” Then she went outside and got lost in the gloriousness of God’s creation.

*photosynthesis

Fly-In Diner (© Barb Witt 6/27/2020)

And now, we pray…

Lord, we stand in awe of all You have created in this world and above and around it. The stars, the moon, other planets, all the animals and fishes and insects. And You created all of these things in six days. Thank You, Lord, You are magnificent and a Wonder to be praised.

In Jesus’ name we pray. AMEN!

About the Author:

Barb Witt is a Christian wife, mother and grandmother who loves gardening, quilting, crafting, writing poetry and devotions, and is working on a children’s book. She has created an email devotional and prayer warrior ministry that she sends out daily. If you’re interested in being added to her email list let us know.