Seeing Creation

Today I want to share with you some thoughts from two writers separated by many centuries.  Ken Gire is a contemporary writer that I greatly admire.  His book, Windows of the Soul, is one of my all-time favorites. In this book he explores the many different ways God speaks to us today and he identifies these avenues as “windows of the soul.”  In the opening chapter of this book he writes: “We must learn to look with more than just our eyes and listen with more than just our ears, for the sounds are sometimes faint and the sights sometimes far away.  We must be aware, at all times and in all places, because windows are everywhere, and at any time we may find one.  Or one may find us.”

Gire goes on to explain that “windows of the soul is a way of seeing that begins with respect.”  To this he adds, “The way we show respect is to give it a second look, a look not of the eyes but of the heart.  But so often we don’t give something a second look because we don’t think there is anything there to see.  To respect something is to understand that there is something there to see, that it is not all surface, that something lies beneath the surface, something that has the power to change the way we think or feel, something that may prove so profound a revelation as to change not only how we look at our lives but how we live them.”

Gire’s words deserve our attention.  He’s right; there truly are many “windows of the soul” available to us and we must make sure that we take advantage of them.  One of the windows he discusses at the end of his book is nature.  He realizes, like many who have gone before him, that Creation itself is a window of the soul.

Writing over eight hundred years before Gire, Bonaventure noted how important it is that we pay close attention to nature.  He said, “All the creatures of this tangible world lead the soul of the wise and contemplative person to the eternal God, since they are his shadows, echoes and pictures…  They are set before us for the sake of our knowing God, and are divinely given signs.  For every creature is by its very nature a kind of portrayal and likeness of that eternal Wisdom.”

Like Ken Gire, Bonaventure recognized that when people look at the things around them they do not always see all that is there to be seen.  For him it is “the wise and contemplative person” who is able to discern God’s Presence in Creation.  How does one become such a person?  By practicing the respect Gire writes about, by giving Creation a second look realizing that in it we do, indeed, find a window of the soul that reveals to us our God and Savior.  I truly believe that when we give nature a second look we actually do find “something that has the power to change the way we think or feel” and something that will alter “not only how we look at our lives but how we live them.”  With that in mind, wouldn’t you agree that nature does, in fact, deserve a second look?

–Chuck

(I photographed the marmot at Olympic National Park, the black snake in my yard, and the elk doe at Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area in western Kentucky.)

The story of Creation begins in the opening chapters of the Bible.  Most people are quite familiar with the biblical accounts found in the first two chapters of Genesis.  Once the story is told, however, it is certainly not forgotten.  Israel’s affirmation of God as Creator played a central role in the other writings of the Old Testament.  The doctrine of Creation continued to be a key element of the New Testament and the faith of Christians.  It would be difficult to overemphasize the importance of the doctrine of Creation.  In so many ways it determines our understanding of God, ourselves, and the world we live in.  It also affects how we live our lives on this planet.

This past week I read a book entitled Creation by Alister McGrath, Professor of Historical Theology at Oxford University.  In this beautiful little book McGrath talks about the many ways the doctrine of Creation affects our lives.  He wisely notes that understanding the earth to be God’s Creation not only affects how we think about the world but also changes the way we behave toward it.  He says, “It forces us to abandon any idea of the earth as our servant which we can exploit as we please.  Instead, we are forced to think of the world as something wonderful and beautiful, created and loved by God, which we are called to tend, as Adam tended the garden of Eden.”

McGrath goes on to offer four major implications for ecology that evolve from the Christian doctrine of creation:  1. “The natural order, including humanity, is the result of God’s act of creation, and is affirmed to be God’s possession.” 2. “Humanity is distinguished from the remainder of creation by being created in the ‘image of God.’  This distinction is about the delegation of responsibility rather than the conferral of privilege.  It does not encourage or legitimize environmental exploitation or degradation.”    3. “Humanity is charged with the tending of creation, in the knowledge that this creation is the cherished possession of God.”  4. “There is no basis for asserting that humanity has the ‘right’ to do what it pleases with the natural order.  The creation is God’s, and has been entrusted to us.  We are to act as its guardian, not its exploiter.”

Over the years some have tried to blame our modern ecological crisis on Christians.  They point out that many in the church have taught that humans are called to have “dominion” over the earth and that this means it is ours to do with as we please.  Unfortunately, many have, in fact, taught this. What we desperately need to do is make sure people realize that this is a distortion of the biblical narrative and that a proper understanding of the doctrine of Creation demands practices and a lifestyle that brings good to the earth, not harm.  I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again, if anyone should be leading the way in caring for the earth it ought to be Christians.  This has been our calling from the very beginning and will remain our calling until the very end.  Whether we live up to this calling remains to be seen.

–Chuck

(I took the floral images shown above this past Friday at a private garden in Mount Sterling, Kentucky.)

Last night I was reading a book that talked about how God made everything in Creation for a purpose.  This is a thought that has been addressed in this blog several times.  We have affirmed that everything God made is good and serves a purpose whether we realize what that purpose is or not.  We have also noted numerous times that there is a “web of life” and that everything is connected one way or another.  Somehow everything that God has created makes that web possible, which again means everything God has made is good.

I was thinking about all of this when it dawned on me that from time to time we need to reverse our thinking and let these same truths remind us that we, too, have a purpose in life.  Recognizing that everything else in nature has its purpose should help us see and remember that there is meaning and purpose in our lives as well.  I happen to believe that this is very important.  Unfortunately, many people today live their lives wondering why they are here or whether their life has any purpose.  The Scriptures declare that we are not here by accident and that every one of us has a purpose.  Like snowflakes we are all unique and that means God’s plan for our life will, likewise, be unique.  God’s plan for you and me will not be exactly alike.  Still, the Bible does indicate a number of areas where God’s purpose for us is the same.  I’ll mention here just two.

First, as members of the human race we are all called to care for the earth.  Genesis 2:15 says, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”  Today we all share Adam’s task.  We, too, are called to be good stewards of the earth.  That is part of our purpose.

Second, we are all called to do good works.  In his letter to the Ephesians Paul says, “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (2:10)   You and I were not created to just hang out here on earth and have a grand time.  No, we were created to do good works.  We were placed here to serve one another and to help care for the earth.  We were created to make a difference.  It is here where our paths might diverge.  God may intend for you to focus on some particular need and me another.  If we all focused on the same thing many needs would go left unmet.  That’s why it is important that once we realize that we do have a divine purpose in life that we seek to discover what that particular purpose is for us and then fulfill it.

God has made everything for a purpose.  A careful observation of nature reveals this.  Everything but humans fulfills their purpose automatically.  We humans are different; we were granted free will.  That means we can choose to fulfill our purpose or we can choose not to.  Needless to say, many people choose not to fulfill their divine calling.  Most of the problems we see in the world today stem from people’s failure to be faithful to God’s will for their lives.  That’s the bad news.  The good news is there is hope for a better world because we still have the free will to choose to do what is right and fulfill our purpose.  Both God and Creation call us to do just that.  The question is, will we?

–Chuck

Have you walked barefoot outdoors lately?  It’s not something we do much anymore.  For a number of reasons most of us typically have shoes or sandals on whenever we walk outside.  We may, however, want to make an exception from time to time.  This is something Philip Newell talks about in his books, A New Harmony and The Book of Creation.  He suggests that doing so could prove beneficial for seeing Creation.

Newell writes: “We all know what a difference it can make to be barefooted.  To feel the soft moisture of grass beneath our feet opens a new awareness in us.  It can allow us to see life with a different perspective.  The same, of course, can be said about walking on rough terrain.  To expose our feet to stony ground also leads to new awarenesses!  A heightened sense of the earth on which we walk is not just about pleasurable experiences.  It is about knowing and reverencing the creation of which we are a part.”

It would seem that many of us are cheating ourselves out of a more intimate relationship with Creation by always wearing shoes outdoors.  When our feet are covered we cannot feel the earth and we lose a degree of connection with it. As strange as it might sound, by always wearing shoes or sandals we limit our vision of Creation.  Certainly I am not proposing that we all dispose of our footwear but I would suggest that it might not be a bad idea from time to time to take off our shoes and socks and really feel the earth beneath your feet.  Since reading Philip’s books I have intentionally done that a number of times.  It really does make a difference!

Going barefoot outside periodically may help us to remember our connection to the earth and our call to be good stewards of it.  The great psychologist Carl Jung once wrote, “When you walk with naked feet, how can you ever forget the earth?”  Many of our current environmental problems have come about because we have, indeed, forgotten the earth.

Stepping outdoors without shoes might likewise help connect us to our Creator.  Exodus 3 records the story of Moses’ encounter with God at the burning bush.  As Moses approached the burning bush God called his name and then said “Do not come any closer.  Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” (v. 5)  Several years ago while studying in Israel I visited the famous Islamic shrine called the Dome of the Rock.  Before entering the shrine everyone had to take off their shoes.  Such a holy place required such reverence.

If you find yourself out in the yard or on a hike and you come to sense the nearness of God perhaps that would be a good time to stop and take off your shoes for a moment.  Or just do it from time to time to remind yourself that this world we live on truly is sacred.  It was made by God and He declared it to be good.  This earth should be considered holy, if for no other reason, because years ago God chose to inhabit it when He sent Christ into the world.

In all seriousness I encourage you to go walk barefoot in the park, to slip your naked feet into a stream, or to take your shoes and socks off and stand upon a bare rock.  Doing so may reconnect you to your childhood but even better, doing so may reconnect you to our Creator and the good earth.

–Chuck

(Sorry, I have no pictures of bare feet.  I took the top image at Dolly Sods Wilderness Area in West Virginia, the middle image at Acadia National Park, and the bottom image on a forst trail in the Pacific Northwest.)

Spruce trees are a beautiful part of nature. They stand tall and have a wonderful horizontal branching pattern.

Did you know that in some parts of the world, people cut them down and cover them with strange items made of plastic and some of these items are strange, filmy strips cut from some sort of mylar or something?

I am messing with you a bit. I am talking about a Christmas tree. I love Christmas trees and all the decorations that go on them, including the plastic tinsel. My point is simple – how we look at things, how we ”see”, affects our thinking about them and that definitely includes God’s creation.

I was recently at a meeting of native plant enthusiasts. The presenter was talking about keeping a garden wild, and had some great ideas, but she surprised me when she talked about how some people will take a hose to wash the spiderwebs out of their trees and bushes. That never even occurred to me. Those spiderwebs are such a beautiful adornment for the bushes and show how tightly connected the natural world is, even in a garden.

Spiders are amazing creatures, even if we don’t always like them. Frankly, even though I enjoy photographing them and their webs, they do seem a little creepy at times. I don’t know what that is about our nature that makes us feel that way. Yet they are obviously an extremely important part of our world because they are so common. Spiders are the number one predator in the world, and without them, we would be covered with all sorts of bugs that would destroy plant life. There is a very important balance to predators and prey in the environment that works extremely well. And if we are to honor God and His creation, and honor God with the idea that maybe He actually knows what He is doing, we need to acknowledge that even if we don’t always like everything we see, such things are still important.

It does come down to how we see the world.  Paul Baloche wrote a song called “Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord”:

“Open the eyes of my heart, Lord,
Open the eyes of my heart.
I want to see You
I want to see You.”

There is much around us, including those silly little spiders in our bushes, that give us a glimpse into the wonder of God’s world, to see God. But we have to open our eyes to see the world, “open the eyes of our heart”, and not allow our very human limitations of sight give us a misleading view of nature.

The webs are made by small sheet web spiders. The spider in the big web is a jeweled araneus orbweaver.

– Rob

One of the primary reasons Rob and I started this blog site over three years ago was to help people see God in and through His Creation.  Both the Old and New Testament teach us that God makes Himself known through the world He has made.  Our lives are enriched spiritually by contact with nature.  Creation is, in fact, one of God’s primary ways of speaking to us.

This past week, while reading Psalm 36, I was reminded that Creation also helps us speak to God.  Pay close attention to the references to nature used in the Psalmist’s prayer: “Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.  Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep.  O Lord, you preserve both man and beast.  How priceless is your unfailing love!  Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings.  They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights.  For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.” (vs. 5-9)

Here we see how nature not only reveals God to us but also gives us a means by which to speak of God’s greatness and our experience of Him.  Whether we are speaking directly to God in prayer or talking about God to others nature equips us with metaphors and images that enable us to describe more adequately our feelings.  The sky helps us describe the great scope of God’s love.  The mighty mountains give us a way to portray God’s righteousness. The ocean depths illustrate the extent of God’s justice. The wings of a bird provide us with a way to depict God’s protection.  God’s storehouse of treasures can be conveyed as a river of delights.  The gift of life itself can be viewed as a fountain.

There are certainly many other places in the Scriptures where nature helps give the biblical writers the words they need to pray to, or speak about, God.  At times you get the impression they would have been lost for words had it not been for what they saw in Creation.  Even Jesus asked us to “consider the lilies” and to “look at the birds” (Matthew 6) when attempting to teach us not to worry and to trust God to take care of our needs.  The apostle Paul, likewise, used imagery of nature throughout his letters to speak of the things of God.  He used things like trees, seeds, and fruit to convey his message.

We are invited to follow in the steps of Jesus, Paul, and the other biblical writers.  We, too, can use our observations of nature to help us pray and to speak about God.   Creation can become like a dictionary for us, providing just the right word we need to express our praise or to convey our thoughts about God.  If you’re not used to doing this I encourage you to give it a try.  You will soon discover that there is no shortage of possibilities.  Why, there are as many possibilities as there are stars in the sky or grains of sand on the shore or fish in the sea or ____________  (you fill in the blank).

–Chuck

(I took the top image of the Pacific Ocean at Point Reyes National Seashore in California; the middle image of the Russell Fork River at Breaks Interstate Park in Kentucky; and the bottom image of Mount McKinley and Wonder Lake at Denali National Park in Alaska.)