I almost skipped my early morning Sunday beach walk. The tide was at its highest on a gloomy morning, leaving only a narrow strip of soft and difficult sand to walk on. The weather matched my morose mood, but I kept going, hoping for the pink sunrise to break through the dark clouds.
Suddenly, I noticed some creatures crawling across my path.
At first, I thought they were the usual crabs on the beach. But then, to my astonishment, I realised they were baby turtles, rushing from their nest to the water. For half an hour, I enjoyed watching my own unexpected and private show that God used to cheer me up—turtle after turtle emerged from their nest and headed to the water. I marvelled at how these turtles knew when to time their journey with the high tide and the dark morning—the best time to avoid predators and reach the sea. I admired the patterns of nature that God had embedded in them, which I could only discover through mathematical models on the tide charts.
The tessellated geometric pattern that He had created on the turtle’s shell was not only visually captivating, with a sense of harmony and balance, but also functional. Pentagons and hexagons worked together to create the dome shell that provided strength, flexibility, and a mechanism for the turtle to flip itself over when upside down.
Back at school, I was surprised to be reminded that the images that I had hastily pasted on the front of geometry workbooks the previous Friday afternoon, ready for Monday morning, were images of turtles! God had given me a wonderful opportunity to share His amazing beauty and goodness in a real and authentic way in the classroom. What an amazing, beautiful, and good creator we serve, and one that cares for me intimately!
