Bill Oddie is my hero.....

Well not quite but I do remember him from The Goodies (a TV staple of any child growing up in the 70s) and he is one of the hosts of Springwatch which I seem to be fascinated by. Maybe it 's because I am fortunate enough to live in such beautiful countryside. There is so much beauty here, the other day I saw a species of bird that I didn't know existed and see many more on Springwatch. It is a reminder of the richness and diversity that God has created, we often think that we need to travel abroad to find new experiences and natural phenomenons but in fact there is so much we don't know about the country we live in. When the weather is hot enough to have the doors and windows open I often don't put any music on, just listen to the birds singing (and the obligatory plane droning overhead every now and then). It is incredibly peaceful and awe inspiring at the same time.
Having lived so close to the countryside for awhile now I see more clearly how Creator and Creation are linked. I look at a tiny creature and think, that started with God having idea, and however much I don't quite apprectiate it's beauty, I can appreciate the intricacy of it's design, that it has a purpose, a reason for existence - even if that reason is only to provide food for birds! I mean slugs are not pretty but they are God's idea and He doesn't make mistakes. The thought struck me that the more I learn to appreciate the unlovely and seemingly pointless creatures in the natural world then I am better equipped to learn to love the unlovely people in society, those whose attitudes or behaviour I find difficult. I'm hoping that by thinking of them as God's idea that compassion my first reaction rather than judgement.