"God made all kinds of wild animals.
He made all kinds of livestock.
He made all kinds of creatures that move along the ground.
And God saw that it was good."
Genesis 1:24-25
Today was Animal Science Day at the Brown's Academy for Boys. We invited a friend and his mother over for a few hours and proceeded to discuss animal habitats, animal births, animal products, and many more exciting animal things. We wandered around the yard for a few minutes examining several birds' nests, filled all the feeders at our cardinal tree, and then took two abandoned nests inside to examine more closely. We looked at various pieces of animal fur and feathers and such with our Bionic Eye, played animal trivia and matching games, cleaned Nemo's bowl together, and performed a couple of experiments to help us understand how God made animals with special features that help them survive.
As I sit and reflect on our day, I am reminded once again of how awesome a God we serve. The more I learn about animals, the more amazed I am at the wisdom, imagination and humor of their Creator. When I look out my kitchen window at our cardinal tree (where, by the way, we saw at least 8 cardinals at one time yesterday), I am often in awe of our Lord. I mean, think about it, what purpose does a cardinal really have? It isn't a necessary element in our food chain. While I am sure cardinals eat their fair share of inscects, they aren't so efficient as to be considered a mandatory bird for the farm. They aren't especially useful in any way. But oh how I thank God for making cardinals. I still get excited to see the bright red crest against the backdrop of a snow-covered tree. I still get a slight thrill when one takes flight and the red wings vibrate against a pale blue sky, disappearing into some unseen nest . And I can't help but laugh when I see a male cardinal hopping from one branch to another, chasing after its female counterpart who always seems to be just one second ahead. When it seems as if he has finally caught her, she takes flight, and the chase begins again. Whether it be cardinals that we are watching in our own backyards or lions that most of us have only seen in pictures or at a local zoo, animals capture our imagination and enrich our lives. Most of all they serve to remind us of a Lord and Savior who loved us enough to give us all that is good.