And It Was Very Good...

³¹ God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. -Genesis 1:31

It's been a beautiful week on our vacation here on Marco Island, Florida.  The sunsets over the Gulf are spectacular.  It's as if the sun is actually melting into the water.

Yesterday we went on a cruise to an uninhabited island for shell-gathering.  On the way there we were entertained by dolphin hitching a ride in the boat's wake.  Dolphins are complex mammels who communicate with extensive vocabularies.

We were also priviliged to see baby osprey in their nests.  Ospreys mate for life.  Their nests are quite well-made and are often handed down from generation to generation.  They are built to even resist hurricane winds.  These nests are protected by environmental laws.  It was quite amusing to see that a nest had been built on the boat hoist on the deck of a multimillion dollar home on the waterfront.  They will have to find a way to build a new deck without disturbing that nest... which will remain there for generations of birds!

We saw many other aquatic birds and other sea life on the way.  Once we got to the island we were thrilled with the variety of sea shells.  We also found a colony of crabs.  They were fascinating to watch.

Also on this island was the ruins of a home that had been built there in 1891 by an architect who was sure that he was way ahead of his time in design and was quite sure that by the 21st century, most homes would look much like his futuristic design.  But unfortunately, he wasn't much ahead of his time in his knowledge of erosion.  A hurricane took out many of the trees on the island and his home was soon damaged by the surf.

Isn't it amazing to see God's creation and how good it is?  It is awesome to see the intelligence in social abilities of dolphins and watch the family interatction of ospreys and the community of crabs.  It is so good to get to view breath-taking sunsets.  God created these things and they are very good indeed.  Without human interference, these things will last forever.

On the other hand, man in his arrogance, believes he can build his house upon the sand and it will last for future generations, only to find out that God does indeed have the last word.  Humans are capable of many wondrous things... many of which do survive generation after generation.  But we must never be so arrogant as to take credit for it.  It is only through the gifts that God has given us that we are able to do great things.  It is only through God's will that any of our work survives.

God created the heavens and the earth and it is indeed good.  May we commit our lives to the good stewardship of creation.

Father,
Thank you for this beautiful world you have given us.  Help us to be better stewards.  Amen.

Joys:  watching dolphin jump and play in the boat's wake; learning about ospreys; finding shells... God's free gifts to those who walk on beaches.