God is an amazing Creator. He created the world in seven days, taking the seventh to rest. He gave us life, food to eat, and air to breathe. He even gave us others to interact with. What He didn’t need to give us, however, was the beauty of what He created. God could have created the world in black and white, but He gave us color! He could have made every tree, flower, and leaf look the same, but He gave us variety. I think that sometimes we take for granted how amazing God’s creation really is. As I’m writing this, I can look out my window and all I see are trees and the gorgeous blue sky. In just a few weeks, though, I’ll look at this same view, but it will look vastly different. Now that it is September, the leaves will start to change colors and fall off of the trees. The oranges, yellows, reds, and browns will light up the forest like a fire. A few months later, the view will be a blanket of white while the grey sky drops snowflakes. These changes are one of the main things that amazes me about my Father. He created this beautiful world for us to live in, and the only reason He made it so pretty to look at was for our enjoyment!

In these captivating sights, God also has given us promises. Think of the rainbow. Many believe that it is just a refraction of light off of water to make an arc of colored light. While this the true way how they are formed, rainbows have a much deeper meaning. God formed the rainbow as a symbol of his promise to never flood the earth again after the globe-consuming flood in Genesis 6 & 7. In Genesis 9:12-16, the Lord gives His promise to Noah that He will never cause the earth to flood again, and the “bow in the clouds” will be a reminder to all. That colored refraction of light is so much more than an end to a rainstorm; it is a symbol of a never-ending promise of our Father! Also, God not only paints the sky with rainbows, but with the sun’s rise and set each day. I have never been one to enjoy mornings, but when I wake to the sky covered in pinks, reds, purples, yellows, and hundreds of other colors, I remember how much God loves us. He gives us these pleasures to remember that we are His and we are so much more important than the glorious sunrise. The innumerable hues that cross the horizons are just a glimpse of the glory of God, and I think that God gives us these pictures to provide us with a glimpse of what heaven will be like.

Looking at these wonderful, beautiful gifts that God has given us to look at, I think of one thing: no matter how beautiful or unique nature may be, God created us to be so much more than that. We are created in God’s own image, so we are more unique and beautiful than anything else that He put on this earth! We are each unique like the sunsets or the snowflakes, each with different colors, sizes, and shapes, as cliché as that may sound. Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” This is so encouraging to me. I look out my window and see the various colors that God allows me to see. I see the green grass and the glorious blue sky. Then, I think back to this verse. God did not say that He created the leaves in His own image. He did not create the flowers in His image. He did not create the oceans in His own image. He created usin His image. That’s crazy to think about, that God would love us enough to make us more beautiful and important than all the magnificent other creations in the world. When I remember this though, I remember that He also loved us enough to send His only Son to die for our sins, and then I am grateful. I am grateful for the trees and the sky. I am thankful for my Father creating me fearfully and wonderfully, as it says in Psalm 139. However, I am most thankful for the Lord saving me through His perfect grace and mercy.