Nature Notes

Dogwood

By Elece Hollis

The Dogwood is blooming,

white crosses lifted on thin green branches

toward the sky.

Its snowy flowers, four petals,

each notched and stained with red

like the spars of your cross.

Graceful, filled with light,

they wave in the soft spring breeze.

Oh, Father, I would be

like dogwood, a proclaimer of your love to

a winter-weary world.

Let me imitate you, Lord,

and your grace and mercy by taking up my cross,

by dying to myself – refusing

my own desires and needs to help my fellow man,

To give, rather

than raise my palms to be given to,

To help, rather

than wait to be helped,

To serve, rather than seek to be served.

Acts 20:24

“But none of these things move me,

neither count I my life dear unto myself,

so that I might finish my course with joy,

and the ministry,

which I have received of the Lord Jesus,

to testify the gospel of the grace of God.”

The Spider

By Elece Hollis

My eyes rested suddenly

On a spider weaving a web. It was

A healthy spider, one

I should not have liked to have encountered

In the darkness! He was still

For a minute and then continued to weave,

His eight legs moving constantly.

An amazing little creature – a spider – who builds

Intricate designs into his web, trapping insects, wrapping them

Like little mummies for future meals.

The very idea is intriguing!

God, you are such a genius! No,

You are much more than that!

All the billions of creatures on our earth,

And their complicated systems of living

Were created by you. How awesome!

I have always been amazed

To see the huge animals;

The mighty rhinos, the great gray elephants, the tall giraffes,

Gigantic whales, but when I look

At the wonder of this tiny one – the spider. What further proof does man need of you, God?

Psalm 104:24-25

“O Lord, how manifold are thy works!

In wisdom thou hast made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.

So is the great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable,

both small and great beasts.”

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