God's Canvas

This afternoon my family drove up this long dusty road. Potholes scattered left and right as it slowly wound around the mountainside and up to the snowline of the Bob Marshall. Everything was so beautiful and green. I could hardly believe it. It made me wonder how often we witness the beauty of God's creation and yet hardly take notice. Perhaps our eyes are so spoiled we begin to take advantage of what we see and soon forget to see it altogether.
Today, for the first time in weeks, I bothered to lift my gaze from the ground at my feet. Yes, the sky was mostly overcast and yes, a slight wind blew. Yet even so were the trees majestically tall and thick. So were the rivers running rapidly, springing from the icy cold depths of the snowfields. Lower down, the green grass of meadows poked above the blankets of whiteness as the first of the spring blooms dared to lift their heads. Up higher, the cliffs hung with some so precariously. Just the slightest nudge it seemed and half the mountain would tumble down.
God created all of this. He etched the valleys, molded the mountains, drew the paths of the mighty rivers and built the rocky towers that rested so carefully in its place. He breathed out the blanketing clouds, and He lit the suns flame to keep us warm. Our God is so powerful and creative and He took the time to decorate this earth that He placed us on. He gave us beautiful places to call our home and every new day He paints a new canvas for us to enjoy. So smile today and lift up your eyes to this masterpiece, because never will there be another like it.

The Maker’s Canvas

The other day, while researching on the internet, I came across a photo of a Mandarin Duck. The caption spoke of some interesting facts about the mammal but what caught my eye was the color.
Do you see the ruby red, and golden yellows? Notice the vivid green or even the stark white. All of them and more decorate the feathers in so many patterns. Honestly, how can man say it was all by chance?
Doesn’t the sheer beauty and creativity portray the work of a skilled artist? For in truth, had Picasso or Da Vinci or Michelangelo crafted such a piece, the work would have been legendary. Yet they did not. And of all their paintings, great and small, none could compare to even one of God’s masterpieces.
But let us not defame or put down these gifted artists but see that in truth, artistry could not have come to us by chance. No you see, it started with the work of one Artist, who by painting, shaping, crafting, and etching made a world abounding in beauty and skill. And on the sixth day… created He His most cherished work. Created He man.