A Conversation with God 8/9/2016
Me: Lord, the cicadas sure have been loud this year.
God: Yes they have…and do you know why?
Me: No, Lord. Why?
God: Well, you see, in 1999, a brood of cicadas hatched and burrowed beneath the ground to feast upon root tissue. It took 17 years but finally they matured and this year the millions emerged from the ground to begin their mating cycle. It’s possible, and even likely, there to be a million of my little creatures per square acre; and with so many, it’s no wonder the Shenandoah Valley resounded loudly their serenade.
(God smiles and chuckles)
Me: Wow, God…that’s just amazing! I love how diverse your creatures are!
God: Yes, I do enjoy diversity.
Me: Lord…
God: Yes
Me: Gracie…she’s my little Golden Retriever puppy…
God: Yes, I know Gracie.
(God smiles)
Me: Well, just yesterday she scampered inside with something hanging out of her mouth. After close inspection I realized it was a cicada bug. I tried coaxing it from her but was only successful with the top half of its little body. Gracie ate the other half. Then she sat on her haunches, looked at me as if to say, “Okay mama, fork it over!”
God: Such is the cycle of life, my child.
Me: Yes Lord, but it made me kind of sad…I’ve always liked cicadas, even as kid.
God: You sure did! I remember you, pigtails flying, scavenging the neighborhood for their exoskeletons. (God chuckles) I also seem to recall the time you found some sort of cocoon during the cold of winter. Not knowing what it was you stuffed in your coat pocket and kept playing.
Me: Yes! I remember that! I played outside for as long as I could stand the cold and then went inside to warm myself by our wood-burning heater. I laid my cocoon treasure on the bookshelf beside the heater and went into the kitchen to make a sandwich. Later I went back to get my cocoon and found the bookcase crawling with hundreds of baby praying mantises!
(I pause…lost in the nostalgia)
You know, Lord…I really do like the way you created the praying mantis. They look wise and somehow…kind of… ancient.
God: Yes, they are amazing creatures as is all life. Life is precious…very precious…for it is a gift only I can give. So go out today and enjoy my world …celebrate life…all life!
Me: I will Lord. I will be mindful of your people and all of your creatures.
God: Lisa…
Me: Yes, Lord?
God: Remember, the way to celebrate life is to be kind to life.
Me: Yes, Lord
***
Psalms 104
He sends the springs into the valleys;
They flow among the hills.
They give drink to every beast of the field;
The wild donkeys quench their thirst.
By them the birds of the heavens have their home;
They sing among the branches.
He waters the hills from His upper chambers;
The earth is satisfied with the fruit of Your works.
He causes the grass to grow for the cattle,
And vegetation for the service of man,
That he may bring forth food from the earth,
And wine that makes glad the heart of man,
Oil to make his face shine,
And bread which strengthens man’s heart.
The trees of the Lord are full of sap,
The cedars of Lebanon which He planted,
Where the birds make their nests;
The stork has her home in the fir trees.
The high hills are for the wild goats;
The cliffs are a refuge for the rock badgers.
He appointed the moon for seasons;
The sun knows its going down.
You make darkness, and it is night,
In which all the beasts of the forest creep about.
The young lions roar after their prey,
And seek their food from God.
When the sun rises, they gather together
And lie down in their dens.
Man goes out to his work
And to his labor until the evening.
O Lord, how manifold are Your works!
In wisdom You have made them all.
The earth is full of Your possessions—
This great and wide sea,
In which are innumerable teeming things,
Living things both small and great.
There the ships sail about;
There is that Leviathan
Which You have made to play there.
These all wait for You,
That You may give them their food in due season.
What You give them they gather in;
You open Your hand, they are filled with good.
You hide Your face, they are troubled;
You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.
You send forth Your Spirit, they are created;
And You renew the face of the earth.
May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
May the Lord rejoice in His works.
He looks on the earth, and it trembles;
He touches the hills, and they smoke.
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
May my meditation be sweet to Him;
I will be glad in the Lord.
May sinners be consumed from the earth,
And the wicked be no more.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
Praise the Lord!
Redhead Reflections 