(Paul Merrill writes here every First Friday)

We were watching a family video last weekend – Man vs. Wild. The star, Bear Grylls, is an adventurous soul who can work his way out of any jam. This particular episode found him in the heart of the Amazon jungle – bone tired, hungry, soaking wet and cold. He looked up into one of the countless tropical trees and saw a beautiful flower. Though Bear is not prone to philosophizing, he noted that God shows his creative extravagance in places where we may not be looking – and that we should notice! Then we can be reminded that our situation may not be as bad as we thought.

Jesus takes it further in Luke 12:28: “And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?” (Maybe Mr. Grylls had  that verse from Luke in the back of his mind.)

What a great reminder that God cares for us so much! Look closely at the workings of any flower. They are beautiful. Humans have not been able to create such an amazing thing. Sure, there are fake flowers. They cannot reproduce. (Bees know better than to visit fake flowers.) Fake petals won’t fall to the ground and become fertilizer for other flowers. The colors of fake flowers are just not as intense.

God went to a lot more trouble than that when He made you. Think about your eyes. They can perceive more colors than any camera and yet are beautiful to look at. Your ears can convert sound waves into deep emotions that touch your inner being. If God created your eyes and ears, He also created your soul. He knows how to touch your deepest need.