A Spider and a Rooster and Delighting in God

I have felt a tad bit guilty as of late concerning my lack of inspiration and worship to the Creator for nature. I see so many of my lovely homeschooling friends who enjoy nature with their children and worship Jesus in it. I would love to do this.

But I don't like being hot, being cold, bugs, itchiness, or cleaning up dirty children.

I like to observe nature...from afar.

This isn't entirely true. I love hiking. Of course, that is OUT OF THE QUESTION at this stage of my pregnancy. My body is aching after a trip to the grocery store. I have climbed a few mountains in my day--big ones--14,000 ft. peaks (and a little smaller). I like to run outside. I hate treadmills. I like to go out on the lake. I like to watch the sunrise. I like to listen to Rich Mullins sing "The Color Green." I don't hate nature.

It's just I don't love everything that comes with it. I like creature comforts--bug spray, central heat and air, and someone else to clean up the mess.

What I've discovered is that I am starting to get attached to little creatures. I never touch them, but I watch them and feel even protective over them (perhaps this is merely part of the maternal nesting instinct).

We had a garden spider outside our front window for a couple of months this summer. She was beautiful--black, yellow, and white. She laid TWO egg sacs, each the size of a cherry. One of them is attached to our window screen. I researched her online to find out all about her life cycle and what would happen to her babies. The site I read said she would die at the end of September, and her babies would hatch in the Spring. Sure enough, she did die. I found myself a little sad, missing her there in the window. It was such a joy to watch her catch bugs and spin her webs.

She was our own personal "Charlotte." And like Wilbur, we are protectively guarding her egg sacs.

There's also a rooster who belongs to our neighbors across the street. He spends a lot of his time pecking bugs in our yard. I don't mind. He has a healthy fear of humans and doesn't bother us. He is friends with our dog. This may be the very same rooster I was complaining about a few months back--the one who crowed ALL NIGHT LONG. He's since stopped that (and we got new windows). My mother-in-law's dog chased the rooster on Friday, and I thought she caught him and was going to kill him (it turned out she caught a hen instead, who did escape, but not without wounds). Everything in me was angry and protective of the rooster (I'm not attached to the hens, but I still felt awful about her attack).

I realized after the attack that I do care about this animal--one I've only observed and never touched. I did poke an umbrella in his direction once, but that is the closest I've gotten to him. I find this all very odd.

But, I'm thankful that during this season of homebodiness, I am able to worship the Lord and His creativity by taking wonder in these creatures, loving them, even a smidge. I'm not able to hike. I'm not able to go on safari, and I'm sure not able to travel anywhere super beautiful like lovely Colorado, but I am thankful for the beauty He's brought to me--right to my window, next to my chair, for me to watch and worship Him--

without even realizing it.