He challenged Job and his companions, “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!” (Job 38:)

And as He speaks out of the whirlwind, God continues to question Job.

Asking Job how he, in his humanness, could possibly know the details of creation such as when mountain goats give birth, who gave the horse its strength and flowing mane and the eagle its flight, and sends lightening bolts on their way?

God’s speech captivates.

The extraordinary poetry broadcasting His magnificence and power.

Radiating with His passion for creating. And His abiding love for all of Creation.

It is almost as though God has a set of paints, and rather than creating tidy, neat little pieces of art, He elects to use His immeasurable imagination to paint masterpieces. Filling each canvas with bold, wild, colourful strokes.

Bursting with pure joy as He creates. Utterly exhilarated by His cleverness and ingenuity.

Absolutely delighting in every single creation.

Even the creations, which to us may seem inexplicable and unconventional. Like the hippo. The crocodile. And the ostrich.

“The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully,

   though they cannot compare

   with the wings and feathers of the stork.

She lays her eggs on the ground

   and lets them warm in the sand,

unmindful that a foot may crush them,

   that some wild animal may trample them.

She treats her young harshly, as if they were not hers;

   she cares not that her labor was in vain,

for God did not endow her with wisdom

   or give her a share of good sense.

Yet, when she spreads her feathers to run,

   She laughs at horse and rider” (Job 39:13-17).

The ostrich has wings and feathers, but cannot fly. She can give birth, but neglectfully abandons her eggs to the warmth of the sand. She can outrun the horse and rider, but she has no wisdom.

The ostrich is such a brilliant, ingenious blend of both strengths and weaknesses.

Created to be an original.

How beautiful this is.

That God lovingly creates each being, each one of us, to be as unique.

Each with our own exceptional, complex blend of strengths and weaknesses.

So that we are distinctive.  Extraordinary. And incomparable.

Five Minute Friday Prompt: Fly

Photo Credits: Jonas Kaiser (lightening), Matthew Meredith (ostrich) from Unsplash

.