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. Romans 1:20 (NIV)

We were on our way to school on a typical Monday. As it often goes, we talked about the trees and the animals we saw along the way. My 5-year-old asked her usual questions about why God made some trees short and others tall—or how God makes the water flow in the creek.

Often my daughter asks if we can stop the car for a while so she can further study some facet of God’s creation. Of course, the traffic and our morning schedule are usually not so accommodating to that idea, nor is my agenda.

You see, I try to use our time driving to school for “productive” conversations. I want to set the tone for her school day, so as we chat, I include brief reminders about classroom etiquette, how she needs to follow her teacher’s instructions, and the importance of sharing.

On this particular morning, there was a momentary pause in my lecture as we noticed cows in a nearby pasture. Normally these creatures are specks off in the distance and hardly visible, but today they were just feet from our car.

As I was about to resume my last-minute instructions, my little protégé issued a request: “Dad, do you think we could have a few minutes of peace and quiet to look at the cows?”

Filled with wonder at the sight of the cows, her little nose pushed up against the car window in an effort to absorb the full view. I had to stop and wonder what great truths about my Creator and His loving care of creation I might have missed that morning had my daughter not refocused my attention.

The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. Psalm 33:5 (NIV)