Great or Small

How many times during the course of the day do people pass by something either great or small and never notice it or God's handiwork? Today I want to consider some extremes in Creation that reflect God's amazing range of diversity.

Light--The sun is the largest source of light relative to the earth. That great big ball of burning gas is the physical source for all of earth's energy and light. Try to imagine the world with no sun. Dark. Freezing. Uninhabitable.
At the other end of the size chart is the lightning bug. These tiny sources of light each have their own unique light pattern. The males use this species-specific pattern to entice the female. When she signals back, he lands and the mating begins.

Plants--The largest plant is the Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) which can reach a height of 300 feet and a diameter of 29 feet. I have never had the opportunity to see one of them in person, but they are a majestic, silent sentinel pointing anyone that takes a closer look to its Creator.
One of the smallest plants are some species of duckweed. When they are fully grown, they measure no more than .0236 inches in length!! But when they come together, they provide a feast for waterfowl and humans alike. God chooses the small to feed the large.

Animals--There are many examples of extremes in the animal kingdom. The largest living animal is the Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) with a length of up to 109 feet. The largest fish is the Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus) measuring up to 45 feet long. The largest known bird is the now extinct Elephant Bird (Aepyornis maximus) with a height of over 10 feet and weighing in around 800 pounds. Compare that to the Ostrich (Struthio camelus) with a height of only 9 feet and weighing up to 345 pounds.
At the other end of the spectrum, God created such small animals as the Bee Hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae) and Bumblebee Bat (Craseonycteris thonglongyai). From their names, you can guess at their size. Smaller is a parasitic wasp Dicopomorpha echmepterygis which is smaller than a microscopic Paramecium we all remember from high school biology labs!

Whenever we see something large or small, let's take a moment to reflect on our great God and to give Him thanks for such a wonderful Creation filled with diversity at every turn. You may be surprised at what you will learn!

Have a blessed day!