And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. (Gen 2:8-9)
Here’s something to think about today. Our Creator could have simply given us what we needed to survive. He knew we would need what was “good for food,” but he could have given us the bare minimums and kept it bland. He could have created us without the need to even eat food. But take another look at Genesis 2:8-9.
Not only did God make what was “good for food” to spring up out of the ground, he lavishly gave us what is “pleasant to the sight.” Think about that phrase for a moment. “Pleasant to the sight.” Things we don’t eat or drink, things that are just enjoyable to look at. God has filled his world with pleasant, delightful, fascinating things.
In fact, that’s a good set of perspective lenses to put on today. What has God designed, preserved, and made to flourish all around me that is “pleasant to the sight”? He could have created an entire world the shade of this morning’s oatmeal, but he gave us a matchless palette of brilliant colors, intricate patterns, and curious textures. Look around today. What do you see that is simply because your Creator willed it to be?
Green grass. Pink dahlias. Yellow sunflowers. The vibrant hues of a field full of tulips. Redwoods. Teal ocean water beneath an azure sky. The spectrum of a rainbow. Auburn autumn leaves. White snow. A dozen shades of gray in the same storm cloud. The glowing orange of the setting sun. The way an entire mountain range transforms into shifting shades of purple as daylight fades. The deep dark blue of a clear night. The fiery light that ignites the eastern sky as another dawn breaks. Not an accident. No coincidence. Just a few of the innumerable gifts that flow from the heart of a Creator who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we could even imagine to ask.
So could I encourage you to slow down today, take a little while to tune out the manmade noise, and open your eyes? See. Be intentional. Notice. Really look around. His eternal power and divine creativity have been on magnificent display in the pleasant-to-the-sight things that have surrounded us since the creation of the world.
And once you soak in a few of those amazing things with your eyes, allow their ongoing testimony to incline your heart towards praise for the universe’s most creative artist.
O LORD, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom have you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures. (Psa 104:24)