I grew up in the desert. Probably not quite the desert you conjure I your mind (unless you’re my dad or tuning in from my home town). Not an Arizona type desert with cactus. But the “high desert” in a rural and remote part of California. A desert nestled between 2 majestic mountain ranges, but a desert none the less.
Dirt. tumbleweed. Sagebrush. Rabbitbrush. And not much precipitation. Big storms would come from the East or the West and hit the mountains and dump snow or rain, then pass over the valley without sharing much and then bless the next set of mountains. I’m sure there are technical
meteorological terms for it, but I always thought of it as living in a donut hole. Rain and snow all around but dry in the middle.
It’s starting to sound like I resented it, but I didn’t. Except for the Christmas mornings without snow. But otherwise, it was what it was. And it laid a foundation for a deep appreciation for the rain. We always celebrated (at least internally) the rain and the smell of the dirt, rabbitbrush, and sagebrush washed in the rain. When it rained we’d go outside and take a deep breath in and it was glorious.
If you’re unaccustomed you probably see the desert as brown and boring. But it’s its unique ecosystem and desert to desert shines with diversity--though you often have to look closely. And one thing that fabulous and surprising is the way the desert sand hides little treasurers. In dry years you might not see much difference from season to season, but in the rainy years….the wildflowers are amazing. And, for me, extra amazing because the desert was so desolate and those seeds just wait and wait and wait for the waters to come. Even years of drought don’t kill them off. They just stay there, hidden and precious, and waiting to awe you.
Nature is like that...no matter what ecosystem you are in. There’s a hidden beauty that reveals itself if you’re only paying attention. From wild mushrooms on a decomposing log to new growth after a wildfire to the oceans that are always revealing new life.
To me, creation is a highlight of who God is--infinitely creative!! A spectrum of color, not just blue, green, red, and yellow, but nuance and variance all over. They may not be your favorite creature, but did know there are over 350,000 types of beetles in the world?!!?! That’s a lot. I might have stopped at 5 or 10, but God’s creation made space for 350,000. In my mind that’s not happenstance, that’s God at work. Yes, through evolution and adaptation, but still I see God in the amazing way we can evolve and change throughout time.
This psalm, like so many others, is one that highlights a celebration of God as we find God in creation.
The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it; for God has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers.
God is all around us in creation. And I hope you take time to stop and explore it. And when you find something beautiful, unique, or interesting, I hope you praise God for it.