This is what happens when a gold leaf freezes in a birdbath.
Instant abstract photography!
Photography by Curtis Beaird
Article by Norma Beaird
Every once in a while, God will teach us a lesson about life. Actually, if we continually pay attention to the spirit of God, we will learn life lessons every single day. Sometimes, the hand of God will show up in very unexpected places.
As we have discussed before, each and every day, God blesses us with the beauty of nature, no matter the season. In the springtime, we breathe the fragrance of blooming flowers and listen to bird song as the avian community prepares for nesting season. In the summer, we enjoy the warmth of the sun. We enjoy the vibrant blue sky colored with a rainbow after a refreshing shower of rain.
In the autumn, we experience the falling leaves and see the warm golden and red colors of dazzling sunlit trees while driving down a country road or walking in a city park. During the winter, we may open our door to a fresh fallen snow or feel the chill of a cold and brisk breeze that gives our senses a morning wake-up call.
Genesis One is alive each day of the year, each moment of the day!
Sometimes, the blessings of God and nature are much more subtle. That subtlety is a gift, the hand of God in unexpected places. Yesterday, we walked outside after a freeze the night before and beheld an artistic sight in our frozen birdbath - gold leaves under frozen water.
A few years ago, when we started feeding birds, we had a freeze and walked outside to see a frozen birdbath. Curtis found the designs in the ice to be utterly fascinating and he began to take pictures. The end result was some rather interesting abstract photography.
At one time, we placed marbles in the birdbath during a freeze and ended up with another interesting take on abstract photography. Two nights ago we saw the weather report and knew that the birdbath would freeze over. We found a tree with gold leaves and took a few of the leaves and placed them in the birdbath.
....and where is the life lesson in all of this?
Sometimes, when God speaks to us through the beauty of nature, it's very obvious, such as a rainbow. After the great flood in Genesis, God gave a promise to Noah through the sign of a rainbow. The rainbow served as a covenant that the Lord would never again destroy the earth's inhabitants through a flood.
Genesis 9: 12 - 15
And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me
and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
I do set my bow in the cloud,
and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth,
that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:
And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and
every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become
a flood to destroy all flesh.
Every time I see a rainbow, I am reminded of the story of Noah. Other obvious signs of the hand of God are the billowing cotton clouds, a luminous full moon or a salmon-hued sunset. However, when you look at a frozen birdbath, you may think, "Well, that's just a frozen birdbath!" .......but wait.....look again.....look at the delicate intricasies of the ice.....look at the shapes, the bubbles and the form.
And, thanks to God's goodness and the creativity and ideas that He has placed in us, we can further see the hand of God because our brain, our thoughts, our ideas and our creativity can work with nature to produce beautiful art.
As I said in this article, the fact that we have an idea or a creative burst of energy is the hand of God. A frozen birdbath is the hand of God because it enables us to look closer at the blessings all around us. It enables us to see further and clearer. It focuses our attention on the small details of life, the details we sometimes miss or ignore.
Consequently, paying attention to the small details in nature trains us spiritually, mentally and emotionally to pay attention to the important details of life. Focus leads to discernment and discernment produces wisdom. A frozen birdbath is definitely the hand of God in unexpected places.
If we won a lot of money or were given a big-paying job or had a huge career boost, we would definitely say, "That is the hand of God!" However, what if your car breaks down in front of a restaurant, and there just happens to be a mechanic sitting in that restaurant who can help you?
What if you're having a bad day and the salesclerk at the grocery store has an encouraging word for you? What if you owe medical bills to the hospital and they work out a payment plan to help with your budget? My friend, you have just experienced the hand of God in your life. God's blessings are all around us, even in the most unexpected places, even in the small details of life. Allow nature to teach you some valuable life lessons. Don't overlook the subtle.
The most appropriate way to end this article is through this New Testament verse:
1 Thessalonians 5:18
In every thing give thanks:
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Copyright 2014, Curtis and Norma Beaird. All rights reserved.
