Bible Reading: Psalm 66:1-5; Romans 8:28-29
The Reed family was seated around their picnic table playing a board game when Eliana looked up. "Oh no!" she wailed. "Not again!"
Parker groaned. Arthur, their collie, was almost totally covered with cockleburs. "I'm guessing you just had to go chase after a squirrel," said Parker. "Or was it a rabbit this time?"
Eliana sighed. "Dad, why did God create cocklebur plants?"
"Well, I don't know for sure," said Dad. "But I once heard of another dog that was covered with cockleburs many years ago. While his owner was picking them off, he noticed the small hooks on the burs and how they clung to each other. That gave him an idea that eventually earned him quite a bit of money." Dad grinned at Eliana. "What holds the strap in place across the top of your sandals?"
Eliana pulled one strap loose. "It's called Velcro."
Dad nodded. "The man who invented it got the idea from those cockleburs. He's just one of many people who have studied things in nature and then used what they learned to invent or improve things we use in everyday life. God's wisdom has been discovered in hundreds of the things He created."
Parker slapped at a mosquito. "I'm pretty sure no one has found any use for mosquitoes though," he said.
"Actually, scientists have been studying mosquitoes," said Mom. "They've used what they've learned from them to make hypodermic needles less painful."
"Wow, that's great! I hate getting shots," said Parker. "And I thought the only good mosquito was a dead one!"
"All of creation shows us that we have an awesome God," Dad said. "Even things like cockleburs and mosquitoes. Those things reflect God's wisdom too, even if we don't recognize it at first."
"It's crazy to me that God gave mosquitoes and cockleburs a purpose," Eliana said.
"It's the same with things in our lives," Mom said. "We can always trust God's wisdom, even with things we don't understand. He created us and sent Jesus to save us because He has a purpose for us. Even when things happen that don't make sense to us, we can trust Him." She looked at Arthur. "All right, let's get all those burs out of Arthur's coat before they get tangled in even worse!"
–Vera M. Hutchcroft
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