 |
| Creativity in the heart of a tulip |
TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 104:19-35
TO CHEW ON: "I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being." - Psalm 104:33
Have you ever looked deep into a tulip's cup and seen the designs? During tulip season a month ago I was out with my camera and on one day photographed four tulips: two yellow, two red. When I enlarged the pictures on my computer I saw they were all different. They did have similarities of course, designs which reflected sixes and threes, but there were subtle differences even within their similarities.
They spoke to me of God their creator. What I saw told me that God loves color and beauty, is detailed and organized, has put order, structure, and design into things as common and simple as a spring tulip. And I observed only the outside. I know that if I took sections of these flowers and put them under a microscope, I would be even more amazed at the design, order, plan, and beauty of the makeup of their tiniest parts.
The writer of Psalm 104 reminds us of the variety and grandeur of God's masterpiece—creation. What he does at the end is what we can also do as we appreciate created things, from noticing the designs in a tulip, to pondering the complexity of the human body, to trying to wrap our minds around the vastness of space: we can praise.
And we can study Him to understand Him through His works, in a way similar to how we probe a human work of art for an understanding of its creator.
PRAYER: Dear God, I am amazed at Your creativity. Help me to recognize Your hand, signature, essence in the created world and to let that be a catalyst of wonder and praise. Amen.
MORE: More about tulips
This bit from tulip entry in Wikipedia explains the sixes and threes:
"The showy, generally cup or star-shaped tulip flower has three petals and three sepals, which are often termed tepals because they are nearly identical. These six tepals are often marked on the interior surface near the bases with darker colorings."
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
