The Beauty of Creation

I have been blessed to have some time living by the water; a saltwater inlet.  It is peaceful and a remarkable place to contemplate life.  I was recently cooking out and as I had the meat on the grill, several manatees swam past.  I noticed the mullet jumping almost in unison and a roseate spoonbill flew past.  The seagulls were fishing and to put it simply it was an amazing, peaceful and beautiful time.  It occurred to me just how amazing and beautiful our God is.

  

I recently came upon this writing by Saint Augustine entitled;

The Beauty of Creation Bears Witness to God

“Question the beauty of the earth, the beauty of the sea, the beauty of the wide air around you, the beauty of the sky; question the order of the stars, the sun whose brightness lights the days, the moon whose splendor softens the gloom of night; question the living creatures that move in the waters, that roam upon the earth, that fly through the air; the spirit that lies hidden, the matter that is manifest; the visible things that are ruled, the invisible things that rule them; question all these. They will answer you: "Behold and see, we are beautiful." Their beauty is their confession to God. Who made these beautiful changing things, if not one who is beautiful and changeth not?”

I am reminded of Psalm 8:

Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens. Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.  When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet:  all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.  Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Lord our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! Amen and Amen.

Grace and Peace!