Otters and Beaver Dams

"I'm ahead of you, Mom!" Kenzie called as she paddled down the river in her kayak.

"Kenzie, stop and look ahead of you!" Mom called back.

Kenzie slowed down her kayak, noticing a bunch of branches ahead of her on the water. "What are those?"

Mom moved her kayak beside Kenzie's. "I think it's a beaver dam. Let's sit here for a little bit and see if anything comes out."

"Okay," Kenzie replied. She kept her eyes on the dam as she took a sip of her water.

A couple minutes later, Kenzie noticed some movement. "Look, Mom."

"It's an otter," Mom whispered as the pair watched the tiny animal. "Otters sometimes take over abandoned beaver dams."

"It's so cute." Kenzie smiled as the otter dove into the water and swam away.

"God's creation is beautiful," Mom agreed. "I love kayaking. It gives us a chance to admire all the wonderful things God has created."

"We learned about that in Sunday school yesterday!" Kenzie exclaimed. "In Psalms, there's a verse that says the earth is full of the creatures God made."

Mom nodded. "Another verse in Psalms says, ‘Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.'" She smiled as she looked at the beaver dam. "Both verses are great reminders that God made so many things for us, and we should take the time to admire them. One way to praise God is by admiring His creation."

"A lot of verses in Psalms tell us to praise God, don't they?" said Kenzie.

"Yes," Mom replied. "We have so many reasons to praise God. Not only did He create the earth and all the creatures in it, He created us in His own image and sent Jesus to save us from sin and give us a relationship with Him that lasts forever. He has done so much for us, and He wants us to praise Him and enjoy the good things He's given us."

Kenzie grabbed her paddle. "Let's praise Him right now by admiring His creation as we race on this nice water He made for us!" she called as she began to paddle down the river.

–Kimberly Brokish