A few weeks ago I was planting beet seeds in the garden and this little fellow flew in to my hand. Just as I was about to shake him away, my attention was caught by the beautiful design on his back. A shimmering gold shell was decorated with scrolling designs and dots and dashes of black. I had never seen a beetle like this before, and I watched him, transfixed by the unusual clothing his Maker had designed for him. He had attached himself to one of the beet seeds and was laying on his back, turning it over and over and over, keeping the bright pink, spikey sphere in continuous motion. He clung to that little seed for all he was worth as I carried him over to show my mom. By accident, I dropped him and we kept our eyes on him in the grass and I picked him up again. When he came back up he was clinging to these blades of grass, and Mom held on to him so I could run inside, get the camera, and snap a few pictures of this “ridiculously photogenic beetle”. 🙂 I took him back and watched him for a few more minutes, trying to get a macro shot of him. The way that he clung to whatever his feet grasped was fascinating, and I couldn’t help but think there must be some lesson that could be illustrated from it. It eluded me for the moment, though, and after he flew away I went back to my work, still thinking about the real-life “gold bug” that I had just met.
This morning that lesson came to me. The way that this beautiful little beetle held tightly to the beet seed and turned it over and over is exactly what we should be doing with Scripture every day. Turning it over and over in our minds, becoming deeply acquainted with its every feature, and clinging tightly to it no matter what our circumstances are. God’s creation is so beautiful and intricate, and there are so many lessons woven into it just waiting to be learned by those who are willing to see them. His wonderful artistry never ceases to astound me – who else could clothe a beetle in a cloak of gold?
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