Seeing Creation

There are definitely two sides to nature.  I tend to focus on the beautiful and inspirational side but there can be no denying that there is also a harsh and destructive side as well.  The recent flood here in Pike County has forced me to look at the destructive side.

Yesterday I had a chance to visit and photograph some of the areas hardest hit by Saturday’s flash floods.  There were numerous scenes, like the one pictured above, that revealed just what a powerful force nature can be.  I saw many homes and vehicles that were destroyed by the raging water.  I am utterly amazed that so few people died as a result of this storm.

Despite all of the devastation I hesitate to refer to nature’s fury as being bad or evil.  It simply is what it is.  The powerful forces of nature (floods, hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, etc.) have existed from the beginning of Creation.  They have also helped shape and form the beauty of the landscapes we enjoy so much.   In times of crisis it’s hard to admit but the truth is you cannot have the beautiful and inspirational side of nature without the harsh and destructive side as well.  It’s a package deal.

This morning I spent quite a bit of time dealing with flood relief issues. While driving home for lunch I was feeling stressed and burdened for those who are suffering.  As I pulled up in my driveway I noticed several new beautiful magnolia blossoms on the tree next to our house.  I got my camera and photographed the image you see here.  This gorgeous white flower seemed quite a contrast to the scenes I photographed yesterday. 

The apostle Paul once wrote, “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess. 5:18)  I don’t think Paul meant we’re supposed to give thanks for bad things that happen to us but that no matter what comes our way we should maintain an attitude of thanksgiving.  Even in tough times there is always much to be grateful for.

 I cannot give thanks for the devastation Saturday’s flood caused but it certainly doesn’t stop me from offering thanks today for God’s gift of Creation.  Nor does it keep me from affirming, as God did over and over again in Genesis 1, the goodness of Creation.  Once again, it is a package deal and I remain thankful for the package.

–Chuck

I recently finished reading Wendell Berry’s latest collection of poems, called Leavings.  Typical of most of Berry’s poem collections, the majority of the entries are tied to the land or Creation.  I enjoy reading this author’s poems and commend them to you.

One of the poems I’d like to share with you.  It has caused me to do a lot of thinking.  It reads:

“Learn by little the desire for all things

which perhaps is not desire at all but undying love

which perhaps is not love at all but gratitude for the being of all things

 which perhaps is not gratitude at all but the maker’s joy in what is made,

the joy in which we come to rest.”

I have to admit I had to read this poem a number of times before it began to make sense to me.  What Berry seems to be saying is that behind all desire, all love, and all gratitude is God’s joy in His Creation and that our joy is made complete when we, too, find our joy there.

In each refrain of “and God saw that it was good” in Genesis 1 we see God’s joy in Creation.  When God speaks to Job he talks about how at Creation “the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy.” (38:7) The Psalmist prayed “May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works.” (104:31)   It would appear that “in the beginning” God found much joy in His Creation and does to this very day.  The question is, do we?

If God’s Creation is a great source of joy to Him, should it not be for us as well?  I have a feeling that if we did focus more on nature that we would experience what Berry called “the joy in which we come to rest.”  In the process we would experience more gratitude and love.  In the process we would experience the “desires of our heart.”  What do we miss when we separate ourselves from God’s Creation?  A lot!

–Chuck

(The image above was taken at Fishpond Lake in Letcher County, Kentucky.)

Fall has finally arrived in southeastern Kentucky.  It will be a while before we have any significant color in the foliage but the temperatures have dropped significantly and the feel of fall is in the air.  I love autumn and always have.  I have wonderful childhood memories of making huge piles of leaves and jumping into them.  I remember fall festivals at school and hayrides at church.  From my earliest days I have loved the colors of fall.  Every year I look forward to seeing leaves turn red, yellow, orange, brown and purple.  One of the blessings of living in the southern Appalachians is the glorious autumn display put on by our native hardwoods.

A few weeks ago Rob wrote about fall in southern California and how it, too, has its seasonal changes.  I guess most places do.  I’m very thankful, however, to live where the four seasons are quite distinct.  It adds variety and a sense of rhythm to the year.  It also provides a wonderful reminder of God’s faithfulness.

My favorite hymn is “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.”  The second verse reads, “Summer and winter and springtime and harvest, sun, moon and stars in their courses above, join with all nature in manifold witness, to Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.”  For the writer of this great hymn, and for me, the changing of the seasons bears witness to God’s faithful hand behind Creation. 

In Genesis 8 God promised Noah that He would maintain the changing seasons.  He told him, “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”  As the temperatures have dropped this week and a few leaves have begun to present their fall colors, I am reminded one more time that the Creator of this world is still in control.  It makes me want to sing “Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!”  It also makes me want to go take some pictures…

–Chuck

(The image above was taken at Kingdom Come State Park in southeastern Kentucky.)