Details Matter

O Lord, what a variety of things You have made! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of Your creatures. Psalms 104

My heart's desire this past year, was to share with you the heart of God as revealed through His creation.  I never cease to be amazed at the variety of creatures big and small.  Discovering the intricate details captured through photography always leaves me continually in a state of “awe” at the imagination of God.  He made each creature a unique part of His masterpiece. Take this moment to ponder some details with me as I present a collection of photos.

Have you ever stopped to contemplate the uniqueness of the elephant?  Many things make an elephant extraordinary.  Being up close and personal with multiple elephants in Africa a few months ago, I became intrigued with the elephant trunk as I watched it in action.  I discovered that the elephant trunk, although boneless, contains about 40,000 muscles, so it is incredibly strong.  Moreover, the wrinkles in the skin help with the flexibility in the elephant trunk.  Who knew wrinkles could be a good thing.  Details matter!  The course hairs on the trunk also contribute to its tactile sensitivity.  The trunk is a nose for smelling, a hand for pick things up and a water hose, just to name a few of the details.  Truly amazing!

This tiny little Angolan reed frog was no bigger than my thumb nail.  As the sun was setting he was just waking up for the beginning of his day or should I say his night.

The Marabou stork has also been referred to as the “undertaker” bird.  It turns out to be a very fitting name, as the marabou stork works as the refuge cleanup crew behind the vultures, along with eating almost any animal matter it can swallow.

God must have had fun designing the Zebra's strips.  Just like human fingerprints, no two zebra stripes are the same and no detail is overlooked.

Can a Leopard change it’s spots?  Hmmm, something to ponder.

When you look like a Warthog you need to have a sense of humor and be able to sing with confidence “Hakuna matata”!   [A Swahili language phrase, which in english means; “no worries”, “no trouble” and “take it easy”].

I’m planning on following the example set by this Crocodile and start my mornings each day with a big toothy smile.

The Malachite kingfisher is barely five inches long, proving size doesn't matter. With the courage of a giant, he fearlessly dives into the water to fish for a meal, getting the job done again and again.

These are only a small fraction of creatures God has placed on display for all to see. There are so many more that showcase God’s personalized, and exceptionally designed creations.  Yet, as distinctive and diverse as each of the millions of beings that fly, walk, crawl, hop, swim, slither and roam the earth, there is, only “one being” that holds the place of greatest value to the creator God — you and me.  We too come in different shapes, sizes and colors.  Each one of us comes with our own special uniqueness, talents and even shortcomings.  Mankind is in the place of priority in God’s heart.  How do I know?  Everything else was created from the imagination of God, but not us …

God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Genesis 1

I have more proof.  This time of year you may have heard the saying; “Jesus is the reason for the season,” but the truth is, we are the reason for the season.  To truly understand, we need to take this occasion to consider and maybe even wrestle with the fact that a holy GOD, the creator of everything we know and beyond, was willing to step down out of the glory and majesty of heaven, not for the humming bird or the hippopotamus … but it was for you and me that He came.  God willingly humbled Himself with the frail limitations of the human body.  He then, willingly died for us, even in the face of the rebellion within our own hearts.  Furthermore, the biggest gift was unwrapped when Jesus, who is God, rose from the dead to offer us His breath of life, along with replacing our broken hearts with His heart of love. Yes, we are HIS reason for this season.

How precious are Your thoughts about me, O God.  They cannot be numbered!  I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!  And when I wake up, You are still with me! Psalms 139

      May this CHRISTmas season be the Merriest!