Wildly Wonderful

Have you ever spent much time looking at scat? I would much rather not. That’s the sort of thing I would rather avoid, nevertheless considering what it might teach us.

Today though, our wildly wonderful children bravely looked at things I would rather ignore. During our summer camp this morning, at one station they  spent time looking at pictures of scat. Our fearless leaders taught them about the different things you might find in scat- and how that shows what the animal had been eating. Then, the kids played with sepia colored playdough to create their own variations of animal scat. It was both incredibly gross- and fascinating. 

Each day this week, the children at Wild Wonder have been learning about the fascinating things in our world that we so often over look- about the bugs in the grasses around the church, about the birds that build nests in our eaves, and about watershed that our rains eventually flow into. The common thread throughout this week has been the word “Care”. Not just us caring for the world, although that has come up- but considering how much God cares about this world. Because, only a God who cares deeply about the world and the creatures in it, would make so many different forms of scat. 

As we have paused long enough to see these things- to watch the birds, or look for bugs, or even play with playdough scat, I have been struck by just how thoughtful our creator really is. God created each of these marvelous creatures, and provides such wonderful things for them. Our verse for the week is Psalm 104:27-28,

 “All creatures look to you

    to give them their food at the proper time.

When you give it to them,

    they gather it up;

when you open your hand,

    they are satisfied with good things.”

As we look at the various forms of scat, we see proof that God has done exactly that- he has given each of these animals exactly what they need. And yet- God cares for us so much more than a deer or a dandelion. God provides for us exactly what we need. 

So today, like our children at Camp Wild Wonder- your homework is to walk outside today, however briefly, and consider the living things around you. Consider the trees swaying in the breeze or the magnolias that are beginning to bloom, or the birds singing around you. Take notice, and give thanks for how much God cares. Even for scat.