nature – Page 4

Butterflies — What Really Goes on in that Cocoon?

July 21, 2016

Butterflies have fascinated me since fourth grade when our teacher brought caterpillars into the classroom so we could observe their change into amazingly beautiful winged beings. What fascinates me, however, is not the beauty of the final product, but the process of metamorphosis. Until recently this change from the creepy, crawly creature to a brilliantly colored thing of of beauty has been a mystery even to scientists. Now, thanks to modern technology, though there are still many unknowns, they have learned much more about what really happens in that cocoon. Not surprisingly, the process is far more complex than anyone had imagined.

Rather than trying to explain it, I’m sharing this video of the Creation in the 21st Century TV program. I hope you’ll take the time to watch it. It’s a half-hour show. The part about metamorphosis starts about 5 minutes into the video and lasts about 20 minutes. CLICK HERE to see the show. You may need to scroll down a bit to get to the video.

The point they’re making in the video is that the amazing process of changing from a caterpillar to a butterfly could not have come about accidentally. This is awesome, but in addition, seeing how thoroughly new the butterfly really is gave me a greater appreciation for what truly new creations we are in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17). I love the way objects in nature reflect spiritual truths from the Bible.

If you’re interested in hummingbirds, there’s a fascinating short segment about them also, starting at the 2:15 point.

Baby Hummingbird is Off to See the World

July 9, 2016

Last spring my sister took fascinating videos of the baby hummingbird outside her window. We watched Baby’s wings grow stronger as he practiced flapping them, and we watched him turn around in the nest at Mama’s direction. He learned something new every day. This final video was taken the day before he flew away, leaving the nest behind. Though he returned to the yard after that, he never revisited the nest.

My sister wasn’t there with her camera to record his virgin flight, but it’s obvious from this video that it was due to happen any moment. If you don’t see the video, click HERE.

Hummingbirds are amazing creatures. They fly thousands of miles to Mexico and Central America in the winter, and when they return in the spring they come back to the exact same yard they left from. And they don’t fly in groups like most other birds. It’s a solo journey.

We can learn many life lessons by observing Baby’s progress – lessons about teaching by example, the importance of practice, and not jumping out of the nest till your wings are strong enough to carry you. And there are Bible verses to go along with each of these lessons. But as I observed the process, one thought stood out most clearly: this is evidence of God’s creation.

According to Romans 1:20 “since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made…” Information about how to build a nest, lay eggs, then teach and prepare her baby to fly, was programmed into Mama’s DNA. Baby’s desire to fly was programmed into his, as well as the migration route he will take in a few months. He didn’t learn that route from Mama. She won’t be flying with him.

To think molecular strands of proteins carrying all this information could have come together through some random process – seems to me it takes way more faith to believe that than to believe in God the Creator, who designed the DNA of not only Mama and Baby Hummingbird, but of every living thing, including all of us.

Yes, it takes faith to believe in a God we cannot see. But He has given us plenty of evidence in the world around us. The writer of Hebrews defined faith as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). I think this hummingbird and her baby provide excellent evidence of the unseen God. What do you think?