All Creatures of our God and King

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One of the activities I like to do with the kiddos for "school" (not sure you can call it that when it is so darn fun and exciting) is just exploring creation. And that is much easier to do these days than it was during the winter months.

We enjoy taking nature walks, observing plants, animals and yes, the occasional insect that we have never encountered before. I love it. L-O-V-E it! It might be one of my favorite things to do with the kids.

I was one of those kids that hated science growing up. I did well enough in it to make the grade, but I never found it the least bit interesting (math was more up my alley). In fact, I dreaded it.

Now that I am a homeschool mom I see science in a whole new light. The process of discovery is what gets me. It is so exciting to learn new things about the world around us. I am convinced the reason I hated science was because it was never taught in this way before. I was never encouraged to wonder and awe and marvel.

Creation is just truly, absolutely, unequivocally amazing. Not sure if you know this, but God made some pretty interesting, fascinating creatures. Sometimes, I just shake my head and ask Him why He did that. And most of the time, the best answer I come up with is, "Why not?" He is just such a creative God. It is really, truly marvelous. And sometimes, I think He created certain creatures in certain ways to bring us closer to Him, so we would see the beauty of it and be more in awe and more in love with Him than we were before.

That's one thing I love about homeschooling. I get to be there to guide and encourage my kids and see the wonder in their eyes when they see something amazing for the first time. To tailor our curriculum to the delight and wonder of the hearts of my children is such a blessing.

This morning I got to witness such an event as Madison called to me. I was in the bathroom getting ready and I hear, "Mommy, come quick, come quick!" Those of you who are parents know that can either mean something very good or very bad.

Thankfully, in this case it was something very good. Madison had been looking at the tree outside my bedroom window and she spotted a new bird she had never seen before. I had her run and grab the camera quickly and we were able to snap a few pictures. Thankfully, our new little friend didn't seem to mind being the subject of our impromptu photo shoot.



Why, hello there.



Isn't he magnificent?

After our friend flew away, we quickly went downstairs to try to figure out what kind of bird this was. I could have gotten upset that we spent half the morning "wasting time" instead of getting our school work done (yes, we do school on Saturdays). I could have gotten my panties in a bunch that we were falling behind. I could have ignored my children's curiosity and put out the spark of delight at their discovery.

Instead, I chose to embrace it for what it was-a beautiful moment where we could share in something eternal. I am so glad I chose to capture their hearts in that moment rather than hurry them along in their phonics and times tables. I am even more grateful for the way God used that very experience to bless us so richly, to help us to delight in the simple beauty of His creation and to deepen our relationships with each other.

And then, as if that weren't enough, we came downstairs for our Bible Study time, and what verse do we end up reading but this:

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

Matthew 6.26

I'm sorry. Call me simple, but there are no words in my vocabulary to describe just how beautiful and good my God is.

What do you do to create and capture wonder and awe in the hearts of your children?