With all the new growth going on, May is the perfect time for kids (of all ages!) to take a closer look at creation. Birds trilling. Flowers blooming. The sun kissing your face while the breeze plays with your hair. As adults, we sometimes get caught up in our busy schedules and overlook these everyday miracles. But Romans 1:20 reminds us, “For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”

In my classroom, students are studying a small ‘spot’ of creation—the life cycle of lady beetles, commonly known as ladybugs. The dotted insect starts as an egg and then undergoes a remarkable transformation from a worm-like larvae to a mysterious pupa to its final stage, that of an adult ladybug. What an intricate, astonishing, absolutely mind-boggling change occurs in this tiny creature!

How can God’s invisible qualities be seen in the life cycle of the ladybug?
• Birth. The insect starts as an egg. Inside that egg are the blueprints for life. What it will look like. What it will eat. How it will move. This is not a random act, but a fearful and wonderful plan. Although only humans are made in God’s image, He still designed every living thing. His fingerprints are all over creation.
• Larva. The ladybug larva does not understand the beauty that it will become. Yet it is driven to act in a manner which will develop this loveliness. In His wisdom, God wired it, as He does every part of creation, to gather what it needs to mature.
• Pupa. The insect closes itself off from the world. In this quiet chamber, it rests while it undergoes a form altering transformation. It cannot protect itself during this process. God’s power is visible as the ladybug simply rests and trusts.
• Adult ladybug. When the insect emerges, it is the same… but NOT the same. It has matured. Its beauty and purpose are visible. So too with us. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!”

If you look at the world with intention, you’ll spy God’s invisible qualities everywhere. Set aside some time to explore nature with your child. Turn over logs. Dig in the ground. Look for shapes and patterns in the plants and insects you find. Notice their special adaptations. Talk about how the structure (how it looks) and function (what it does) of different parts of them help them survive. Maybe if you’re lucky, you’ll even find a ladybug.

Do you have a favorite plant or insect? Why do you like it? What do you think others would find surprising to learn about it? How does it remind you of God? Tell me in the comments!

Lori Z. Scott

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Photo by Sue Thomas on Unsplash