Look what I discovered on my trail run today! A shimmering green beetle, perfect in its detail and deathly repose.
There was nothing to do but take it home in my sweaty hand.
If you are familiar with this blog, you may have already noticed my penchant for cherishing lifeless insects, especially the magnificent ones. In fact, if you look carefully at the background of the picture of my herb garden below, there's a speck on the windowsill which is actually a dead bumblebee I couldn't bear to throw away.
Why do these things fill me with such wonder and happiness?
I think it's because something in their design beckons to me. Without wanting to offend or invite the derision of those with differing opinions, I must offer that I see God's hand in this tiny insect.
I believe He created the earth and all things upon it. I don't know how He did it. I suspect it was not by waving a wand within the period of a traditionally defined week, but rather through a gradual and masterful harnessing of universal scientific laws.
I believe this through simple faith. Beyond this, I am compelled to acknowledge an intelligent presence at the origin of creation, as experience has shown me nothing ever gets made without an organizing force behind it. You know? Like, my girls' rooms never get cleaner on their own, to put it in very simple terms. Dinner doesn't just magically happen. As I make things myself, whether it is having babies, composing music, writing, drawing, or building a friendship, I am impressed by the thought, effort, even personality which goes into a really good creation.
This is the heart of the matter as to why the beetle resonates so deeply: there is something about this intricate bug which awakens in me a closer feeling to God. There is something about it which makes me feel I better understand an aspect of His nature, and that somehow He understands an aspect of mine. I recognize something familiar: that we share, if I may say so, a common element of appreciation.
I think He knows how such a tiny, perfect creature would bring me no end of wonder and delight. I actually think that matters to Him. And reflecting on this, sensing it is true, brings greater joy and gratitude to my path on this beautiful earth.