Tuesday ingenuity

Even on a dark and stormy day, the sun is still shining above the clouds. I know that’s a cliché, but it happens to be true. Looking for some ray of sunshine today, I decided to think about Tuesdays, and especially about the very first Tuesday. For on Sunday God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. On Monday God separated the waters above from the waters below. On Tuesday God lifted dry land out of the water, and then he covered the land with vegetation, numerous plants, each according to its kind.

Placing vegetation on the land makes good ecological sense, since healthy plant life reduces erosion by wind and by water. The plant life could also begin the cycle of producing oxygen for animals to breathe, since God foreknew the animals he would create on Thursday and Friday.

When God created plants, he also created beauty. The predominant color of plants is green, but green comes in many shades. God also mixed in flowering plants to provide many other colors as well as pleasant fragrances. God designed tropical rain forests, grand hardwood forests for more moderate climates, prairies of waving grass, and even lichens for the parts of the planet that would remain cold for most of the year. He placed durable plants in the deserts, and other plants underwater in lakes, streams, and oceans. God created plants that could replicate themselves by seeds, and others that could divide to spread through the ground. He made trees that could bend in the wind, violets that could shelter under the trees, and even ivies that could climb the trees.

Best of all, though, God created plants that can be eaten. Buried treasures include carrots, beets, turnips, onions, potatoes, and peanuts. Above the ground we find peas and beans, pumpkins and other kinds of squash, and various edible grains, including wheat, oats, barley, rice, and sweet corn. God made leaves we can eat, such as lettuce and cabbage; stems we can eat, such as rhubarb and asparagus; flowers we can eat, such as broccoli and cauliflower; and even an edible tree bark called cinnamon. He created many kinds of berries—including not only strawberries and blackberries, but also grapes and tomatoes. God designed the fruit of trees with great variety: apples, pears, cherries, peaches, mangoes, papayas, oranges, lemons, coconuts, walnuts, and cashews. God created herbs and spices such as parsley and oregano, cloves and black pepper, mustard and chili pepper, and sugar. To top it off, God hid special surprises in tea leaves, coffee beans, and chocolate.

For which of Tuesday’s children are you especially thankful this week? J.

 

Advertisement