In the second chapter by Cornelius Plantinga, I feel like nothing new was taught to me about Creation, but rather I was reminded of many things that I should spend more time dwelling on. He made a lot of good points that sent my mind into motion.
Have you ever sat down and watched the documentary “Planet Earth?” I highly recommend it if you haven’t. In the beginning of the section titled “The Book of Creation,” Plantinga goes into detail about the wonders of Creation. “God made grasshoppers that look like leaves and beetles that hitchhike on the backs of bees. Perhaps in a whimsical mood, God made the duckbilled platypus, and also “gooney” birds, a member of the albatross family...” Though I have no idea what the albatross family looks like, I was reminded how in “Planet Earth,” there were many authentic and unique type of species of birds presented and one can also see a widespread variety of animals. How truly awesome our God is. Christina Rossetti, in her poem, says it well when she says “Lord, purge our eyes to see within the seed a tree, within the glowing egg a bird, within the shroud a butterfly; Till taught by such, we see beyond all creatures thee and harken for thy tender word and hear it, “Fear not; it is I.”
As I dove deeper into the book, I came across a section that stood out to me that I briefly talked about in class. God took time to rest and so do we. Working is a good thing to do, but so is thinking about life afterwards and for me, this is something that I all too quickly forget to do. “Silences may fill us with longing for goodness and listening for God. Silence lets us brood over things that make us deep. Silence may become a cradle of delight.” In culture today, we limit the power of silence. We instead challenge it with music and talking. Ecclesiastes 5:2 says “Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.” I think this is so important to do. Today at the January Series, Andy Crouch led the audience in song and my favorite went like this - “Thank you Lord, I just want to thank you Lord.” How simple but yet true. Sometimes we must be diligent in letting our words be few and simply being still.
Thank you for bringing up the idea of silence. I loved the quote "silence may become a cradle of delight". I personally love silence and love at times being alone and I hate how I have become so attached to electronics and business that I rarely actually take time to find that silence.
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ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Nate: Silence as becoming a cradle of delight!
When, after a restful Sunday, after sunset I prepare for the Monday ahead, I do so with a burst of delight... Great ideas, rested, ready to go!
When looking into the Biology of the nervous system, how true: there needs to be a 'recharge' of transmitters now and then. The 'silence' gives our brain that opportunity.
What care God had for us when He made us!
adriana
I loved your comment on Planet Earth. I just watched my first episode last weekend and I loved every minute of it. For me, it is that which sums it all up. The absolute immensity and complexity of our Earth is enough for me to say, "Wow, God!" It validates to me that their is no way in heaven or hell that evolution could have created what we live in today. I just love creation when I think that God created in order to demonstrate his imaginative love. God created this world for us. How cool is that?
ReplyDeleteAgain, thank you for mentioning the beauty of silence. I find that in between school and working I don't give myself the time to stop and just take in the beauty around me. Also, when meditating on God's beautiful creation it is hard to not be overcome with a peaceful feelilng.
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