Seeing Creation

When I returned from southern Utah last month I began reading Terry Tempest Williams’ book Red.  Williams lives in southern Utah and has a great love for this area of the country.  Towards the end of the book she offers this moving reflection:

“The eyes of the future are looking back at us and they are praying for us to see beyond our own time.  They are kneeling with hands clasped that we might act with restraint, that we might leave room for the life that is destined to come.  To protect what is wild is to protect what is gentle.  Perhaps the wilderness we fear is the pause between our own heartbeats, the silent space that says we live only by grace.  Wilderness lives by this same grace.  Wild mercy is in our hands.”

These words help me to see Creation in a new light.  They call for me to remember that as stewards of Creation we must seek to preserve God’s gifts for future generations.  Too many of us live only for the present, giving little thought to what things will be like for the generations that will follow us. 

In my lifetime I have been blessed to see so many beautiful and wonderful things.  I cannot assume that all I have witnessed will be there for others to enjoy 50 years, 100 years, 200 years from now.  I know better.

I have observed animal species that are threatened or endangered.  Will they still be around 100 years from now?  I have stood in wonder and awe before many natural treasures.   Will those who follow me have a chance to be moved by these same sights? 

The “hand of man” has always had an impact on the natural world but that impact is far greater today than ever before.  It is imperative that we practice the “wild mercy” Williams writes about.  It is crucial that we extend grace not just to one another but to all of God’s Creation.  For that reason I ask you to join with me in praying that God will help us to “see beyond our own time” so that we can be good stewards in the here and now.

–Chuck

(The image above was taken at Capitol Reef National Park, a park Williams mentions often in her book.)

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:14

He probably didn’t realize it but when Roger Miller penned the words to “I’m Waitin’ For the Light to Shine,” a song from his hit musical Big River, he wrote what could be the official nature photographer’s theme song.  Nature photographers know that light is everything.  A good subject in poor light typically does not produce a good image.  A poor subject in good light, however, can at times look amazing.  As a result, we photographers look for, and long for, “the light to shine.”

Often, to get the right light we have to wait.  The image above is a good example.  It was the last day of my southern Utah trip last month and I had not done well photographing Canyonlands National Park.  The first day there the light was terrible, making even Mesa Arch look unflattering.  On my last evening I decided to try one more time.  When I arrived at Green River Overlook the light was, once again, horrible.  I just about concluded that I was going to get “skunked” at Canyonlands but then I noticed that there was a tiny clearing at the horizon.  I held on to the hope that maybe at the very last moment beautiful warm light would flood the canyon below me.  My friend Steve, who was with me and is not a photographer, decided to go sit in the car.  Since it was 15 degrees and windy, I couldn’t blame him. 

I waited in the cold for over an hour hoping (and praying) that I would get good light.  And just when I thought time had run out on me it happened.  Whereas a split second before the scene before me was dull, dark and gray, all of a sudden a warm brilliant light flooded the canyon.  My heart soared and I immediately sought something to photograph in that glorious light.  Because the good light only lasted a minute or two I couldn’t be choosey.  Still, I found a couple of decent subjects to capture with my camera and once again I was reminded that in photography it pays to wait for the light to shine. 

In our spiritual life we also have to wait at times for the light to shine.  In my walk with the Lord there are many times when things seem flat and dull.  It can be quite discouraging and at times I may even feel like giving up.  But I have learned over the years that we must learn to “wait on the Lord.”  God does not always move on the timetable we want.  In fact, He typically moves a lot slower than I’d prefer.  But God knows what He is doing so the smart thing for me to do is be patient and wait for Him to shine His light on me.  And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it is that it pays to wait for the Light to shine.

–Chuck

The images coming out of Haiti the last couple of weeks have been horrifying.  I spent some time in that country a few years ago on a mission trip and I find it difficult to comprehend how people who were already suffering greatly can deal with this tragedy.  I find the whole situation most distressing.

What I also find distressing is the response that has come from a number of “religious” voices.  Some are claiming that the earthquake was God’s judgment on Haiti, that the quake was an agent of God’s wrath.  I do not believe such thinking is consistent with the Christian understanding of God nor with good science.

I came across an article on Christianity Today’s website this past week that addresses the issue of why we need earthquakes.  (You can find this article at http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/may/12.58.html?start=2. ) Here you can read how earthquakes, seaquakes and tsunamis are the consequences of plate tectonics and that without plate tectonics we would have no large mountain ranges or continents.  The author makes the claim that “our planet needs plate tectonics to produce the biodiversity that enables complex life to flourish on earth.  Without plate tectonics, earth’s land would be submerged to a depth of several thousand feet. Fish might survive in such an environment, but not humans.”

Obviously, earthquakes can be powerful and have the potential to do massive damage to improperly built structures like those you find throughout Haiti.   Inadequate infrastructure and building codes has been the real culprit behind Haiti’s loss of life.  According to this week’s issue of Newsweek, authorities in Haiti knew a huge earthquake would one day hit their country, but little was done to prepare for it. 

Looking at another natural force of consequence,  hurricanes for millennia have helped form and shape the beautiful beaches people flock to and want to live near.  Those living there often become distressed when hurricanes come their way and cause death and destruction.  Some even point angry fingers at God.  Such folks remind me of those who smoke and then get angry at God when they get cancer.  What did they really expect?

I stand with the Scriptures in affirming that Creation is good and that God is love.  In His love He made us the best possible world.  We may not fully understand why God has arranged some things the way that He did but how could we; He’s God and we’re not!  I hope we can learn to see the goodness inherent in all of God’s Creation and to realize that the apostle Paul was right when he declared that “neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present or the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Romans 8:38-39)

I reject any theology that says God caused this earthquake to punish Haiti.  The God Jesus showed us loves those people.  As Emmanuel, I even believe that Christ is there in the midst of them now, suffering with them.  I also believe that God is calling on folks like you and me to respond to this crisis by praying for those affected by this natural disaster and to make contributions to reputable organizations that are there trying to help out.  I, too, want to encourage you to give.

–Chuck

(The image above was taken in Haiti on my visit there.  Unfortunately, 98% of their forests have been denuded and in additional to human healing, Haiti needs environmental healing as well.)

“He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes.”  Psalm 137:16

Here is southeast Kentucky we have gotten far more snow than normal lately.  Rob tells me that along with the deluge of rain to the coastlands of California, the higher mountains are being laden with snow. 

When it comes to snow most people either hate it or love it.  The Bible, however, sees snow as a gift of God.  In most instances snow is beautiful to behold but it also serves many useful purposes.  Snow, like rain, brings moisture to the earth.  Snow provides protection for some animals and enables others to reach food sources they might not otherwise be able to get to.  To some it will sound strange but snow also provides insulation to both plants and animals that enable them to survive frigid conditions.

Humans tend to judge most things—like snow–by whether they benefit us or not.  This is just another example of our anthropocentric tendencies.  It seems clear that many of God’s gifts in nature are not primarily intended for us.  He sends rain and snow not just for the benefit of man but for all of His Creation. 

I think it would prove helpful if we periodically tried to look at the world from different perspectives.  For example, we could consider how plants might “view” rain or how animals might “look at” clouds.  By pursuing this exercise I suspect we would come to see both the wisdom and goodness behind God’s Creation.  We would likely also come to appreciate more the “web of life” so many naturalists have spoken of and recognize the hand of God behind it.

The image above was taken at Arches National Park last month.  Such beautiful formations are made possible by wind, rain and snow.  Hopefully I’ll remember that the next time I’m tempted to complain about some of the inconveniences that come with snow.

–Chuck

“Open my eyes that I may see, glimpses of truth Thou hast for me.” –Clara H. Scott

This weekend I had a chance to do a couple of programs at the 20^th annual Wilderness Wildlife Week in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.  Thursday night Ken Jenkins and I did a program called “The Spiritual Side of Nature.”  The presentation was well-attended and warmly received.

During Ken’s portion of the program he used an interesting analogy to describe certain people.  He noted how those who sleepwalk move about while asleep but do not really see what’s going on around them. Ken then indicated that many people move about day to day but remain blind to the wonders of God’s Creation all around them.  Such people are guilty of a different kind of sleepwalking.

I have known Ken eighteen years and can honestly say that I do not know anyone who is more “awake” when it comes to seeing and experiencing God in Creation.  Although his photography business is based in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, Ken has a ministry that takes him all across the country.  In his programs he shows wildlife and landscape images he has taken and draws incredible spiritual truths from them.

Knowing that not all of you will be able to hear Ken speak I want to commend to you his recent publication Nature is the Art of God: A Journey Into the Beauty and Wonder of Creation.  It is one of the most beautiful photographic devotional essays I’ve ever seen.  You can order copies from Ken’s website: www.kenjenkins.com.

Listening to Ken’s presentation Thursday night, and then looking at his new book, has made me want to do a better job of seeing God in Creation.  I think I do a decent job of seeing the obvious but know that there are folks like Ken who see so much more.  How can I improve my vision?  I suspect I should begin by asking God to “open my eyes” so that I might see more and then, with His help, try to discipline myself to slow down and really pay attention.  I plan to do this because I really do not want to be guilty of being a “sleepwalker.”  How about you?

–Chuck

(The image above was taken at Morton Overlook a number of years ago in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.)

A few years ago, Chuck had given me a book by Gerald May called The Healing Wisdom of Wilderness. I ran across it again this week because my daughter was looking for a memoir to read for a class at college on nonfiction writing. May was dying as he finished this book and it gives a lot of insight into the power of nature to heal us spiritually even if we can’t be healed physically.

May really believed that “wilderness” could be found anywhere, from a garden to a park to a wild area of nature. But he notes that our busy lives keep us from nature and its possibilities of healing and growth. There is a passage that really sticks out for me related to the problems that can occur from this, “Feeling so divorced from the nature within and around us, we make wildness an adversary that we must tame rather than learn from.” Nature as an adversary is key to a lot of nature television programs, unfortunately, such as the “Man against Wild” show (which is actually not as bad as its title — from the little I have seen of it, the star has to work with nature to survive, but the title reflects a more generalized attitude).

The world has its wildness. If you don’t understand nature and God’s place in it as the creator, that is, nature is God’s “property”, then wildness can be scary. That doesn’t have to mean being stranded on top of a wilderness mountain. That can mean being afraid of small critters, the bugs and such, that are all around us, and also part of our world. Understanding that this is all part of God’s creation helps make wildness a place of healing and peace rather than a scary place.

– Rob