Singing the ‘Harvest Samba’ (if you don’t know this it is basically a list of food set to a samba tune reeled out annually for primary school children to celebrate harvest festival with a not too Christian emphasis) with my class on Thursday I was struck again by the diversity of nature. Just taking fruit and vegetables alone – different colours, shapes, smells, sizes, tastes, feel and benefits. Having attempted growing tomato plants for the first time this year with limited success, it amazes me that nature provides for us as abundantly as it does. So much could prevent those flimsy little seeds from reaching their potential, as we’re reminded in the Parable of the Sower. Let alone the additional risks from people and the resulting climate change.
Plants don’t just provide nutrition but medicines, clothing, shelter, furniture, and fuel. We have developed art through grinding up plants and boiling up vegetables into dyes to make our world more decorative and homely. We can enjoy soothing fragrances and balms from plant extracts. We can make music with reeds and seeds and hollowed out tree trunks.
Of course, we must be thankful for the food we need to survive. But God’s provision just goes above and beyond our needs. The diversity and choice we have is a gift from a God who loves us beyond measure. This isn’t just provision, it’s indulgence. And He cares so much that he adds in all the other added bonuses too – to help protect us and keep us well. And if that isn’t enough, He gives us the means to keep busy and improve our lives with art and music.
How great the Father’s Love for us!