I rise early on 02/02/23 to see if Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow. Six more weeks of snow, cold and ice? Maybe an early spring. The mythology of Phil is one I love to indulge in. The morning of the Big Day, I turn on the TV news getting ready for the big show.
The morning meteorologist comes on and blows the whole thing! From February 2nd there is exactly 6 weeks to the first day of spring. No magic of the ground hog will change the fact that spring is 6 weeks away….and besides, Phil is overweight and generally an ugly animal. Ouch! Yet here we are celebrating an animal who predicts the weather.
Ugly. That word caught my attention. Aren’t all God’s creature beautiful in His eyes? Ok, beauty has to be in the eyes of the beholder. God’s humor was surely on show when he created: Spiders with a dozen eyes gazing in all directions. The star mole that looks just plain weird. An okapi that looks part zebra and part antelope. Avocados…..the pit is way too big. Ugly fruit. Bats. Need I say more?
What about the beautiful? Cheetahs – especially when they run in front of your jeep in Tanzania. Elephant moms with the babies. Rabbits. My cats. Your dogs. Birds at the feeders: cardinals, jays and upside down flickers. Owls. Babies. Little children. This list could go on and on. What do our eyes behold that belongs to God? Only everything.
Today, take a minute – just 60 seconds. Look out your window at the wonder of nature. Revel in the beauty of creation that God provides. This is yours to protect and honor He says. For this moment, find peace and feel the presence of God’s love in you and the world.