when i consider

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,

The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that Your are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? ~ Psalm 8:3–4

I really like being outside. If I am down, frustrated, or angry, I always feel better if I can take a few minutes by the ocean, in a park, or even outside in the snow at –40. For me, something about reaffirming that I am a part of God’s larger creation is always calming. I look around and see the hundreds of species in one little place. This quick inventory then leads me to remember all of the other “cool” places I’ve been -- the Atacama desert of Chile, where rainfall has never been recorded; South Africa where elephants, lions, and rhinos can be seen in reserves much larger than Guam; and Saipan and the northern islands of the CNMI where we could easily record more than 200 species of fishes on a single dive.

These memories lead me back to my field of study -- diversity -- and knowing that there are an estimated 1.6 million named species and an expected 30 million species on the planet. These numbers are small compared to the estimated 200–400 billion stars in our galaxy, let alone the universe. These huge numbers make my issues and problems really seem insignificant. This psalm then reminds me that God, creator of this spectacular diversity, takes a personal interest in ME (and YOU)! Wow. Now I feel better.

~ Kate Moots