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The creativity and grace of God

My family has had cats since I was little. One of them, Midnite, was a black female (not a miss-spelling). We got her when I was 7, and she had to be put down about 3 1/2 years ago. She had quite a personality, and plenty of quirks. She liked to play fetch. About a year later, We got 2 more cats (despite the fact that my mother said "no more" after Midnite). A male and a female, both black. The male, Max has long hair, and the female, Speckles is short-haired, just like Midnite. In some ways, she reminds me of Midnite, but in many ways she's different, with all of her own quirks. She likes to fetch just like Midnite did. She's also absolutely obsessed with being brushed, she seeks attention constantly like a dog, and there are a number of other little personality differences that make her unique and different than Midnite. This got me thinking one day.

How cool is God?

Anybody who has had pets would agree that they're all different. There is variation even within the same species or breed. Somebody who has has several Labradors Retrievers, would most certainly say that each one had something different about them. Even two related  individuals can be distinct. I've known a few Boxers, and they were all unique. I had a couple Guinea pigs, they each liked different foods, and had their own habits. Watch a documentary about a pack of wolves or a pride of lions, and you will find diversity among those groups, as well.

God didn't say "I'm going to make cats, and they're all going be exactly the same, and completely predictable" (He certainly made Speckles pretty peculiar). He put enough genetic diversity in the first animals he created to produce an abundance of variety. He made all different kinds of animals. Within those kinds, He made distinct species. Within each species, He made variations like breeds and subspecies. As if that wasn't enough, within those groups, He made unique individuals, with diverse personalities and traits, likes and dislikes.

I can't really say that I know where I'm going with this. I haven't come up with an application for this epiphany. I just think that it's really cool to dwell on the creativity of God. How gracious is He to bless us with a variety of pets. He didn't make a boring place for us to live. Aside from the animals, He made an array of trees, rocks, flowers, grasses... He made sands of all different colors The universe is also full of outstanding diversity. Go to a planetarium... The planets are all unique and incredible to behold, even though nothing lives on them. There are entire galaxies outside of our own, the scale of which are beyond our comprehension. He made all manner of fruits, vegetables, and nuts for us to eat. Every sunrise and sunset is different from the previous one.

And as if all of this wasn't enough to be thankful for... He, knowing how sinful and undeserving we would be, decided to give us five senses to enjoy it all. The ability to taste the difference between a pear and a mango, or smell the difference between a rose or lilac bush.... to feel a cat's fur or the cool grass in the shade on a sweltering day, or enjoy the contrast of a warm campfire on a brisk evening... colors and the ability to see them... ears that not only help us communicate, but allow us to hear the loons and whippoorwills at night by the lake.

How cool and gracious is God? That He decided to give us even more than His plan for redemption.
Fireflies.. I didn't do a darn thing to deserve fireflies.... and how mind-blowing is it to think that this beautiful, colorful, and diverse world is fallen, and tarnished by sin. Try to wrap your mind around that reality for a minute.

I must admit that despite my wonderment,  I fail to appreciate it as often as I should. It's like somebody gave me an incredible gift, and like an ungrateful, spoiled brat I just put it in a drawer. I guess I should work on that. I guess that's where I was going with this. So, praise God for quirky pets and stuff.

                                                          -Nakita

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