Wisdom for Wednesday- Creation Study -

When I heard the Learn’d Astronomer
by Walt Whitman

WHEN I heard the learn’d astronomer;
When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me;
When I was shown the charts and the diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them;
When I, sitting, heard the astronomer, where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room,
How soon, unaccountable, I became tired and sick;
Till rising and gliding out, I wander’d off by myself,
In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,
Look’d up in perfect silence at the stars. I read this poem to the kids the other day and I have been pondering it. How often do we cram our minds with proofs, figures and facts without taking the time to actually slow down and look at God’s creation? I have purposed to stop and view the view a few specific places in my daily walks. I have purposed to watch the sunset. I love reading facebook posts about hikes, farm visits, apple picking and campfires. They inspire me. I applaud those people for stopping and reveling in the glorious creation and enjoying the harvest. Since I began my book study it seems as if I haven’t been able to get a moment to myself. How can I slow down if I can’t get a moment of silence, Lord? Amid the facts and figures of the homeschooling day, I am reading and answering questions, unloading the dishwasher, cooking, etc. You know the drill. How can I “look up at perfect silence at the stars” when there is no silence/ There is another kind of slowing down, I feel the Holy Spirit nudge me. There is another creation to purposefully study- the person in front of you! The child asking for your attention. “Watch this mom!” “Could you read this?” “Can you help me with this?” How I needed this reminder. God gently leads us when we are tending our young, our family. Slow down. Not so fast. All of these trials will soon pass, but so will the glorious moment in which you stand right now. This second. This tiny measure of eternity will never return.