Psalm 8:4-8 — What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: all sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.

Are you creative? I am, a bit, I suppose. I can write a little, and I can “see” things … things I would draw, or paint, if only I wasn’t “blessed” with hands that just won’t do what they’re told!
My eyes, though, are a real blessing. They allow me to appreciate the work of the greatest Creator of all. It’s funny what put that thought into my mind today. It was looking out at the overcast sky and thinking that it would likely rain. Somehow that led to a thought about the varieties of rain — drizzle, shower, spitting rain, downfall … It’s not quite like the Yupik people who have words for at least 99 varieties of sea ice, but still the diversity is impressive.
It’s becoming a cliché to marvel at the number of species of birds, insects, animals and the like. Myra and I love to marvel at quieter things. Did you ever count how many grays there are in the sky? Many more than fifty, I promise you! And then there are the greens in the leaves. I’ve always loved those words if J. R. R. Tolkien’s, “For still there are so many things that I have never seen: in every wood in every spring there is a different green.” I spent many of my early years in that central part of England that I think was at the heart of Tolkien’s shire and I’ve always noticed those greens.
While we’re among the poets, we might give Shakespeare a nod. He was talking about anything but divine Cleopatra when he wrote “Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety” — but I can’t help thinking that the description is wonderfully appropriate to God’s marvelous creation.
Despite our “best” efforts to replace God’s creation with man’s construction, His infinite variety still shines through. As Myra and I were on our short evening stroll tonight I noticed it once more. Our Development was unusually quiet, and all the different birds were singing — a joyous harmonious chorus that brought to mind another of the great creation Psalms — ” O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. (Psalm 104:24)