Nature Is Your Classroom!

Have you ever thought about why God created your favorite animals? Or perhaps you wondered why He made some of your not-so-favorite creatures?

You have probably noticed that the Bible draws many lessons from nature. God the Father used dozens of examples to get Job’s attention (Job 38-41). Christ used many comparisons and examples from the animal and plant kingdoms. In Matthew 8:20, He indicates that He often slept under the stars with His disciples. It should not come as a surprise, then, that He was so knowledgeable about the world He created (10:16; 13:18-23).

God put us in the midst of a natural world so that we could learn spiritual lessons from it. The apostle Paul labeled earthly things as “a shadow of things to come,” meaning a type of things that will be in God’s Kingdom (Col. 2:16-17).

But God also made the natural world complex so that only those who truly applied themselves would discover these lessons. Countless times, Christ told those listening to His parables: “He that has ears to hear, let him hear.” In effect, He was telling listeners to apply themselves and think on His words.

Similarly, the book of Proverbs urges readers to “incline your ear unto wisdom,” “cry after knowledge,” and “search for [wisdom] as for hid treasures; then shall you understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God” (Prov. 2:2-5).

It is no wonder the author of these verses in Proverbs, inspired by God, was Solomon. He learned about his Creator by investigating trees, herbs, wild beasts, cattle, birds, insects, fish and many others (I Kgs. 4:33-34).

Many of his writings account for his observations. In Proverbs 17:12, he writes it is better to come across a mother bear that just lost her cubs than having to deal with a fool. In Proverbs 19:12, he warns that stirring up the king’s anger is like the roaring of a lion. In Proverbs 30:18-19, Solomon said certain things including “the way of an eagle in the air” and “of a serpent upon a rock” were too incredible for him to fully understand.

In order to write about these accounts, he would have had to venture out of his palace in Jerusalem many times, taking a closer look at sheep and cows in the meadows, groups of deer in the forest, and catching birds and fish. Imagine him on his hands and knees to inspect ants marching across the ground (Prov. 6:6).

Solomon was a biologist in the truest sense.

Yet you do not need to be the wisest man to have ever lived or God in the flesh to glean lessons from the natural world. To grow in wisdom, understanding and knowledge to the level of Solomon and ultimately God, you should determine to become a biologist of sorts as well.

Will you put forth the effort to find all you can about the world around you?

Be Observant

The first step toward becoming a nature learner is simple: Pay attention to the world around you.

God set the precedent for this. Jesus said the Father knows every bird that falls to the ground and counts every hair on your head (Matt. 10:29).

When you set foot outdoors, look around instead of simply staring down at your feet or daydreaming. Jogging in a local park or forest is certainly a good exercise, but it is too fast paced to notice specific and inspiring details. Close observation is key if you want to draw lessons from plants and animals.

When I was in my teens, I could be found outside most of the time wandering through the Dutch farm fields catching frogs and salamanders. One thing you can learn from these amphibians is that they are incredibly hardy—they are survivors in the truest sense. They survive harsh winters without freezing to death. One lesson we can learn from frogs is that they accept and adapt to harsh winter conditions, instead of escaping to a warmer climate.

We can also learn from others’ observations. One teenager in the Church shared with me that, to train horses, you have to be patient but also authoritative to them in order to break them in (breaking in is the process of making a horse rideable). This reveals how God works with us—He is patient but authoritative when necessary in order to help us be of value toward Him.

To reach these kinds of insights, however, you must think beyond simply noticing patterns in nature. Always be asking questions. These queries will give you ideas to research after you return home.

Some questions you may ask yourself after noticing them on a walk: What kind of butterfly has black wings speckled with white dots? What’s the difference between a frog and toad? What kind of berries are edible and which are poisonous?

Consider this last example. I read a handbook that lists all kinds of edibles that can be found in woodlands and hedgerows. It details all the characteristics of each edible plant as there are poisonous lookalikes that you do not want to eat. (See II Kings 4:38-41 for an interesting biblical story on toxic produce.)

Like foragers, we need to be observant. Synonyms of the word observant are attentive, discerning, mindful, perceptive and eagle-eyed. Did you know eagles are capable of distinguishing more colors than humans—including ultraviolet? They can also use their eyes independently, so that they can simultaneously look straight ahead and to the side at a 45-degree angle. This helps them see things the size of a rabbit more than three miles away.

Obviously we do not have these capabilities, but we can practice being eagle-eyed when we are on the “hunt” for treasures in the natural world.

A pair of binoculars goes a long way in helping you notice more intricate details that you cannot see with the naked eye. Also, consider bringing along a notebook and pencil for writing or drawing details and descriptions of creatures that fascinate you.

After making observations, you can begin to ask more “how” and “why” questions: Why do some leaves on trees in the autumn turn yellow and others red? How come some birds sing and others only chirp or squawk?

Not long ago, I was out for a Sabbath stroll when I heard a peculiar noise. I stopped and looked around to see what was making all that racket. I spotted a spotted woodpecker that had just drilled a hole in a tree. Soon after, it pulled out a beetle larva, which I later learned is its favorite snack.

I asked myself, “How is this bird able to pound its head so vigorously without hurting itself?” This led me to research this amazing creature. (More on that later.)

Overcoming Roadblocks

Perhaps the most common reason we tend to separate ourselves from nature is the stuff keeping us more interested in being indoors: technology. We are more likely to stay within four walls if we have everything we need to be entertained there. As a result, multiple surveys show children, teens and adults alike are spending scores of hours per week on screen time and less time outdoors.

Of course, technology is important to many aspects of our lives—from school to networking with friends afar. Before you think you have to ditch the device to reverse your nature deficit, however, realize that tech is one of the most important tools you have to learn lessons from nature.

Using a smartphone, for example, allows you to access a plethora of apps you can use to enhance your nature-learning experience. Can’t identify a tree? There’s an app for that. Bad at seeing constellations in the night sky? There’s an app for that too. Want to tell the bird by the song? You guessed it…

Some of these apps involve augmented reality—meaning they add data to your camera’s view so you can identify things you see. A constellation app, for example, will show labels of all the star groupings and even the names of celestial objects as you point your phone’s camera into the night sky.

Simply taking video and photos will allow you to relive your journeys in the future and notice more details long after your hike.

These are exciting tools those of generations past would only learn through extensive book study. Use what is at your fingertips to your advantage.

What about if you live in the middle of a city? It can be challenging to find green spaces amid concrete and light pollution. But it is important to realize learning from nature does not necessarily mean you have to go on a safari or traverse great expanses of wilderness.

Nature is everywhere! In some cases, it is more prevalent in urban areas. Notice landscaping plants and all the critters that adapt themselves to the urban environment.

Solomon wrote that “the spider takes hold with her hands, and is in kings’ palaces” (Prov. 30:28). He did not have to go anywhere to notice that!

You can also do more in-depth research while at home. Google Maps, documentaries or short clips on phenomena in nature will allow you to see what only top-class explorers of centuries ago could.

Nature Points to God’s Nature

Proverbs 16:4 says: “The Lord has made everything for its own purpose…” (New American Standard Bible).

This verse shows God made everything for a specific role. As a result, nature reveals to us what He is like—how He thinks and operates. When you go places, keep this in mind.

For example, why did God create adverse weather? There are thousands of reasons, but one overarching principle is found in Ecclesiastes 7:14: “In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also has set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.”

Getting used to cycles will teach us to expect good times to follow bad times, and vice versa.

Think about seasonal cycles as well. The animal and plant kingdoms build their entire lifestyles around these seasonal patterns. Squirrels, for instance, spend all summer storing up to hibernate over winter, enabling them to get through difficult times more easily.

For us, it should be the same—except we do not always know how long periods of productivity will last or when adversity will strike.

The characteristics of animals play a big part in teaching us how to behave. Lions show us to be bold (Prov. 28:1). Doves display harmless characteristics. Serpents reveal the importance of being cautious in potentially dangerous environments (Matt. 10:16).

Let’s return to the woodpecker mentioned earlier. I started to ask questions such as how does it not hurt to constantly bang its beak against a tree? After doing more research, I found that this bird is an absolute masterpiece of God’s Creation. I found out that God installed a piece of cartilage between the woodpecker’s beak and skull that acts as a shock absorber. Also, their skull is the thickest bone by body weight of any creature.

And how does a woodpecker manage to get to the larvae? I found that a woodpecker’s tongue can be stuck out up to 1.5 inches out of his beak and that it has barbs that hook a larva. Even more amazing, if the barbs do not hook the prey, then its tongue creates a special kind of glue to which a larva will stick. Then, when it brings the larva into its beak there is a solvent that unglues the glue.

There is so much to unpack just looking at this one bird. It is obvious that a Mastermind thought about these details as He designed this magnificent bird. God came up with many ingenious solutions when making animals.

Ask yourself, how could woodpeckers have evolved? It would have killed itself in the process of developing a beak and head that are shock absorbent enough to prevent concussion. Also, without the thick membrane that closes over their eyes just one millisecond before impact, woodpeckers would go blind as the force of each blow is so powerful that it would result in their eyes popping out of their sockets.

Again, this is all just from one bird I saw pecking away one day. Yet it took additional research and connecting my findings with the existence of a genius Creator to benefit from this information.

“Wonderfully” Designed

The world is full of wonders to explore. But while we consistently focus on going out to make discoveries and seek new experiences, there is a world of wonders right where you are sitting.

Have you ever thought about the intricate systems in your body? King David understood the incredible complexity and beauty of the human body’s design (Psa. 139:14). He said he was “fearfully and wonderfully” made while he was in his mother’s womb. Verses 13 and 15 use the words “knitting” and “weaving” (see the English Standard Version). This means that your Heavenly Father personally “knitted” and “wove” you inside your mother. King David was awestruck when he considered this, resulting in him praising and thanking God.

Yet there are facts about the human body that he could not have even known. Consider, for instance, that the human brain contains approximately 100 billion neurons (cells that transmit nerve impulses). That is as many stars in the Milky Way galaxy! Also, your heart pumps 1.5 gallons of blood (which accounts for 10 percent of your weight) throughout your body every day to supply it with nutrients and oxygen. All of this just happens, without any thought! Like King David, these details should make you stand in awe that God can design and create a system so intricate.

Everything in nature has been made for a purpose—including the nature inside of you! The more you realize the complex design that allows you to live, the more you will reverence and praise your awesome Creator.

So, get up on your feet, prepare yourself and determine to become more interested and eager to learn from the natural world and to honor the God who made it all.