God's Scavenger Hunt

I am often amazed at the sheer awesomeness of God's creation.  We live in a big, beautiful world, and I absolutely love looking at it.  God spared nothing when He created.  He went all out.  From the vast oceans, deserts, and wide open prairies, to the rolling hills and majestic mountains, to the fathomless expanse of the sky and universe...my mind is aflutter with the grandeur-ness (this is my blog, I am allowed to make up words if I want to) of it all.

Our family went to the Gulf coast of Florida for vacation in September of this year.  Each time we were at the beach and I was looking out at the water that went on and on as far as my eye could see, I felt much like I did on my very first trip to the ocean as a teenager.  I was AWED.  I don't think I will ever not be awed by it.  It has a way of making one feel so very, very small.  In fact, when my kids were playing and swimming in the water, that same thought stuck me even more.  They all looked so tiny in comparison to that great big Gulf of Mexico.

Something about that was very overwhelming to me, but in a good way.  I could go on and on, but the point I'm trying to make is that God makes big things.  REALLY big things.  He made them for us to enjoy and to be inspired by, and they also remind us of how great and mighty and powerful He is.  I believe it gives Him great joy when we look at His handiwork in awe and wonder. 

In comparison, I have this notion that God especially delights in putting little, tiny things in our paths for us to discover, if we are looking.  That's the key; we have to look.  Many times we are so busy with life and its many cares and responsibilities, that we overlook these little things and pass them by unknowingly.  Through my growing love of photography, I have discovered so many things that I would have missed, had I not been looking through my lens for that next little thing to capture in picture form.

I know it may sound far-fetched to some of you, but I believe with my whole heart that God deliberately places little things like this in my path just so I can find it and smile (and of course snap a pic).  I believe He does it for all of His children.  My family has talked about this on our frequent nature outings.  In trying to explain this theory to my kids, I told them that it was a little bit like God had set up a scavenger hunt for us.  It's up to us to find the things that He has hidden just for us, and  when we do find them, He smiles when we do.  He knows each of us so well, far better than we know ourselves, and He knows exactly what will make us smile, laugh, get a blessing, or praise Him, so each of us gets a tailor-made scavenger hunt - put in place by God - for us as individuals.  Wow, that just gives me goosebumps, to know He loves us like that!! 

At times, though not very often, several individuals will find that their scavenger hunts collide and intertwine, and when that happens, well, sometimes it means that a lucky turtle will have a really great story to tell to all of his turtle buddies, if he should be able to recover enough from shock and fear to be able to make it back to them.

I have a challenge for you today; look for the little things, and when you find them, please take the time to share your thoughts with me.  I would love to hear from you!

Melissa