The sky is so pretty this late afternoon. I can see the pale blue sky through Father Sky’s thinly sketched white clouds. The sun is poised right on the peak of the horizon, bright white and blinding like the first taste of moonshine from a dirty Mason jar. As the sun met Father Sky, she started rolling and burst into a raging wildfire burning red-orange across the skyline. As the clouds gathered to watch the wildfire, they were casually dressed in pale grays and whites, waiting for Mother Nature to formally dress them with her watercolors. I wonder what palette of color Mother Nature will choose tonight. As the wildfire of sunset burned down, Father Sky kissed the sun goodnight and waked the waxing gibbous moon, pinned him high in the night’s sky, and surrounded him with handfuls of twinkling stars. The twilight sang a lullaby to the day’s light and the darkness waked as the daylight waned.

As I sat in the porch swing watching the sunset a little glittering of humming birds flew around the sunflowers and zinnias. Such pretty names for a group of hummingbirds — glitterings, shimmers, charms, tunes, or bouquets. I like calling them a glittering because of how beautiful these tiny creatures are when the sun smiles on their iridescent feathers. They really investigated the sunflowers. The center of a sunflower bloom is a cluster of tiny flowers called florets. Each floret holds a tiny drop of nectar making sunflowers a great feeding spot for the little hummingbirds. Hummingbirds are considered songbirds, too, using squeaks, twitters, and buzzing sounds for mating displays or territory defense.

Found some snails in my petunias today. Reminded me of a quote I love by Charles Spurgeon. “By perseverance, the snail reached the ark.” Reminds me, too, of the quote, “Slow and steady wins the race,” from Aesop’s ancient fable The Tortoise and the Hare. Both quotes are good examples of perseverance. Perseverance is defined as a continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition. I can see the little snail, slowly crawling along being passed by all the other animals. But he didn’t give up, he persevered because he knew God had a place for him on the ark. If we pace ourselves and keep focused on the tasks at hand we can achieve our long term goals.

Is perseverance an inherent trait or something we are taught? I think perseverance is something we learn when we face the trials and challenges of life. We pray for strength and believe God’s grace will sustain us. Isaiah 40:31 says, “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” We’re not promised life will not have stumbling blocks and pain. We have to be firm in our belief in the promise of God’s faithfulness and his grace. When we’re challenged we need to have the strength and resilience to trust in God. We have to pray, ask God for help, and accept his answers to our prayers.

Every time we persevere through hardships and suffering in our life we become closer to God. James 1:12 reads, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” God gave us free will and put adversity in our lives to teach us to lean on him in times of trouble. Sometimes God lets us endure hardship so we can bring hope to those who are also suffering. Perseverance is not an easy journey. Like the little snail that kept on crawling with the ark as his goal, we have to keep pushing through our challenges and look for joy and gratitude through our faith in God. God is there to help us through any trial. God is always in control.

Today I saw God as I watched a chickadee bath and cool off in the fresh water in the cement bird bath. I saw God in the deep dark eyes of my little dog when I patted her head and told her she was a good girl. I saw God in the beautiful blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds. I saw God in the tiny hummingbirds. I saw God in a yellow butterfly tap dancing on a vivid hot pink zinnia bloom. And I saw God and felt his presence as the sunset colored the sky a glorious champagne gold. God’s handiwork in nature is all around us. “He has made everything beautiful in its time,” Ecclesiastes 3:11. 

Isaiah 6:3 states, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” The beauty of creation reminds us of God’s love. Spend a little time in nature and you’ll find a deeper connection with God. You’ll see God created a beautiful world for us to live in. You’ll find peace and inspiration. Look up at the sky at night, see the luminous moon and twinkling stars. Stand on the shore of the ocean and feel the heartbeat of Earth as the waves pound the shore. Look upon the faces of those you love and thank God for them.

As Marty Rubin said, “Live for nothing but the joy of being alive.” Count your blessings, be grateful and appreciate the good things in your life. Find joy in the simple things.

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” —Confucius