Prata potpourri: Video-palooza- Nature encounters, Beauty, and Creative Challenges

By Elizabeth Prata

There is much ugliness in the world. I, too, am waiting for the day in heaven when the responsibilities Jesus gives us do not weigh so heavy. In the Garden, work was easy. It was after the fall that God cursed the ground and made labor so hard for us humans. (Genesis 3:17-19). The creatures were subject to the Fall too. All creation groans under the weight of sin that permeates everything. (Romans 8:21-22). Every leaf, every blade of grass, every cloud, nebulous as they look. Laced with sin. Our relationship with the animals changed and now they have the fear and dread of man put on them. (Genesis 9:2). Sin drenches everything.

Someday, all that will be reversed. Our relationship with each other, with the creation, and with His creatures will be released from sin and death.

I often think, when seeing a gorgeous sunset, a bounding animal, a delicate flower, if creation fell with Adam, and sin pollutes it all, and it’s still THIS beautiful, what will heaven be like? I love beauty. In these dark times when kindness is in short supply and pain presents a screen in front of our eyes to diminish God’s beauty around us, what will it be like in the future glory?

I saw a few videos of animals interacting with humans, animals doing their graceful thing they do. See this eagle. How majestic, graceful and beautiful. We can see why the eagle is used as a metaphor in Isaiah 40:31,

Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.

I don’t think leviathan is the whale but here is a verse that extols the Lord’s creation of the sea creatures,

LORD, how many are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all; The earth is full of Your possessions. There is the sea, great and broad, In which are swarms without number, Animals both small and great. The ships move along there, And Leviathan, which You have formed to have fun in it. (Psalm 104:24-26)

Elephants are amazing! When I was a youth and learned of poachers killing them for their ivory tusks I was so crushed. Elephants are not mentioned in the Bible (though ivory is). This ancient synagogue’s excavation revealed a mosaic of a group of elements, a non-biblical scene. It is in Galilee. Article source

Watch 3 minutes of time lapse of flowers blooming. Just take a breath, pause, and let your thoughts go to God who made these, sustains these, season after season. Beauty is of God.

Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit according to their kind with seed in them”; and it was so. The earth produced vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, according to their kind; and God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (Genesis 1:11-13).

And now for something completely different. I often set myself photo challenges. I liked his self-made challenge to capture 1000 human moments in one week. His advice on setting yourself a challenge, any challenge, and just get out there and do it is good advice.

I saw this video because I like notebooks. The algorithm pops these up on my Youtube timeline and I tuned into this one. We oldsters know the distracting capabilities of a phone or a computer. But it was refreshing to hear a youngster say it. He explained it so well how carrying his phone interrupted his creative process. He articulated the issue in a way I found perfect. Take a listen. 9-minutes.

Enjoy the videos, enjoy the day. The Lord God made it all.