Seeing Creation

“For you make me glad by your deeds, O Lord; I sing for joy at the work of your hands.” Psalm 92:4

While on a road trip with a friend last week he told me about a book by Leigh Ann Henion called Phenomenal: A Hesitant Adventurer’s Search for Wonder in the Natural World.  In this book Henion talks about the importance of wonder for our lives and how it can be found especially in nature.  She chronicles her experiences of wonder visiting migrating monarchs, Hawaiian volcanoes, viewing the northern lights, while on an African safari, and observing a total eclipse of the sun.  Learning about this book has made me think about some of the places where I have experienced wonder and its counterpart, worship, in nature.  Space does not permit an exhaustive list but here are a few.

I have experienced wonder each time I have visited slot canyons in the desert southwest.  When light from above is reflected on the sandstone rock walls the result is pure magic.  Like Henion, I have also experienced wonder and awe observing the northern lights.  Watching the curtains of light move across the Alaskan skies moved me to the depths of my soul.  It was truly a spiritual experience.   I have likewise experienced a deep sense of wonder in Alaska watching giant glaciers calve.  The sights and sounds of this phenomenon inspire me in a remarkable way.   I could say the same thing about walking amidst the giant sequoias and redwood trees of California.

I remember feeling wonder and awe the first time I looked up at the Grand Tetons in Wyoming.  There was something about those mountains that humbled me and made me feel small in more ways than one.  I have also experienced a heightened sense of wonder each time I’ve visited the geyser basins in Yellowstone National Park.  Watching geysers like Old Faithful, Giant, Grand, and Castle erupt thrill both my heart and soul.  The same thing can be said for sunsets I’ve experienced in the Grand Canyon and sunrises on the coast of Maine.

Many times I have been moved to awe and wonder watching wildlife.  It’s happened observing a whitetail fawn take its first steps and coastal brown bears snatching salmon midair at Katmai’s Brooks Falls.  It’s happened while listening to sandhill cranes migrate overhead and while watching humpback whales frolic in the seas.  Getting to see wolves and moose in the wild have likewise provoked wonder and awe.

Henion speaks about how the phenomena she experienced proved to be life-changing.  The things I’ve mentioned have also been life-changing for me.  In each instance I believe I have been able to catch a glimpse of the Divine.  I see each example as a gift of God’s grace.   I sincerely believe that it has been the Creator’s intention all along to show us God through the handiwork of Creation.  Most of the examples I cited are big things but God is also revealed in the small for those with eyes to see.  It might be a tiny delicate wildflower or the wings of a butterfly.  It could even be something so simple and complex as a snowflake.  The truth is, God may be found in all that God has made and when we truly see we cannot help but be moved by wonder and awe to worship.  Wouldn’t you agree?  What natural phenomena have moved you to wonder and awe?

–Chuck

I came across a passage from Rachel Carson a few days ago I do not recall reading before. With her usual insight she said “It is a wholesome and necessary thing for us to turn again to the earth and in the contemplation of her beauties to know the sense of wonder and humility.”  Although written several years ago, these words seem especially poignant today.  Unfortunately, in many ways what lots of people are contemplating in nature is not its beauties but what financial profit can be made from it.  For our government this appears to be its overriding concern at the present moment.  How sad!

I have no doubt that God created the world in such a way that we could benefit from its resources, but I sincerely doubt this was all God had in mind. Carson points to nature’s other benefits when she writes “Those who dwell…among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life. Whatever the vexations or concerns of their personal lives, their thoughts can find paths that lead to inner contentment and to renewed excitement in living.  Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life exists.  There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of the birds, the ebb and flow of the tides, the folded bud ready for spring.  There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature—the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter.”

Just as there are financial rewards to be found in nature, there are spiritual, mental and physical rewards to be found as well. We desperately need to be good stewards of God’s Creation so that we do not lose these other benefits.  In the long run, they are more important than the short-term financial profits.  I would also concur with Carson that it is through contemplation of God’s Creation that we “know the sense of wonder and humility.” How do you put a price tag on things like this?  If humans lose their sense of wonder they lose an invaluable asset.  If we lose our humility, we are doomed.

–Chuck

I’ve recently come to the conclusion that I’ve had an awe-full life. Not awful, mind you, but awe-full or full or awe.  I was teaching a class a few days ago and I asked those in it if they could point to instances where they had experienced awe or wonder in nature.  Every single member could point to a time.  As we listed these out loud together I found myself coming up with example after example.  From my first glimpses of the Appalachian mountains and Atlantic ocean as a child until the present moment nature has continued to fill me with wonder and awe.  I can’t help but believe that is true for everyone.

God’s Creation is simply awesome! I’ve seen that awesomeness in giant trees and tiny flowers.  I’ve seen it in the Milky Way above and in marvelous creatures here below.  I’ve seen it in the heated desert and in the frozen tundra.  I’ve seen the awesomeness of nature in calving glaciers, steaming geysers and raging rivers.  I’ve seen it in mountains high and valleys low.  Near and far I’ve been blown away by the wonders and mysteries of Creation and led to moments of pure awe and worship.

This awe-full life I’ve had comes as no surprise because the Bible teaches us that there is an awesome God behind all of this. Nature is awesome because it is a reflection of the awesomeness of God.  That awesomeness is found everywhere.  Isaiah 6:3 says “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” Because this is true there are awe-full moments waiting for us all of the time.  If we will but use the eyes and ears that we have been given we cannot escape experiencing God’s glory.

The apostle Paul believed that God’s awesomeness in Creation was so great and evident he declared “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20)  Having seen what I’ve seen, it would be difficult for me to argue with Paul concerning this matter.

I believe that the Creator made the world awesome on purpose so that it would lead individuals like you and me to God. The marvels of nature are signposts directing us to God.  Today I am thankful for those signposts and for this awe-full life I’ve been given.  It has brought me much joy and brought me closer to the Maker of heaven and earth.

–Chuck

( I took the pictures shown above at Yellowstone NP, Olympic NP, and the Atlantic ocean.)

Earlier today I took a longtime family friend out to see some of the bald eagles that we have nesting nearby.  It was the first time she had ever seen eagles close up in the wild and it was fun watching her excitement.  She told me that as the eagles would fly in and out of the nest her heart would start pounding.  When it came time to go I had trouble getting her to leave.  The bald eagles filled her with such wonder and awe she found it difficult to walk away from them.  I was touched by her enthusiasm but it also served as a reminder that because of my frequent sightings of bald eagles in the area I don’t get as excited about seeing them as I once did.  I certainly still enjoy seeing bald eagles but I will confess that because it has become routine I have lost a good bit of the awe and wonder my friend displayed this afternoon.

In her book, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith writes “Look at everything always as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time: Thus is your time on earth filled with glory.”  I think that is wonderful advice.  It may be hard for some of us to regain the excitement of our first sighting of some bird, animal or flower but we should be able to discipline ourselves to look at things with the recognition that it might be our last time to do so.  I suspect we would pay far more attention than we normally do if we looked at things this way.

I am convinced that we need more wonder in our lives.  G. K. Chesterton once wrote, “We are perishing for want of wonder, not for want of wonders.”   There are certainly no lack of things found in God’s Creation that should cause us to experience wonder and awe.  Unfortunately, the problem is we fail to pay attention to these things and thus miss out on the wonder of it all.

One reason why I believe wonder is needed is that I see it as a prelude to worship.  When we experience wonder and awe we are on the verge of worship; we find ourselves very close to the God of wonders.  I have indicated numerous times on this site that I believe God has made the world not just to meet our physical needs but to point us to Him.  If we have eyes to see and ears to hear we will find much that will lead us to worship the Maker of heaven and earth and as Betty Smith indicates, it will also cause our time on earth to be “filled with glory.”

The next time you find yourself outdoors I encourage you to pray that God will help you look at everything as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time.  I have a feeling that it will truly make a difference.

–Chuck

Over the years I have benefitted greatly from the writings of Brennan Manning.  My favorite book of his is called The Ragamuffin Gospel.  Brennan has experienced the grace of God in a powerful way and bears eloquent witness to its power in this book. In a chapter called “Cormorants and Kittiwakes” he also shares some words that I think readers of this blog will find insightful.  I encourage you to give them some thought:

“We get so preoccupied with ourselves, the words we speak, the plans and projects we conceive that we become immune to the glory of creation.  We barely notice the cloud passing over the moon or the dewdrops clinging to the rose leaves.  The ice on the pond comes and goes.  The wild blackberries ripen and wither.  The blackbird nests outside our bedroom window.  We don’t see her.  We avoid the cold and the heat.  We refrigerate ourselves in the summer and entomb ourselves in plastic in winter.  We rake up every leaf as fast as it falls.  We are so accustomed to buying prepackaged meats and fish and fowl in supermarkets we never think and blink about the bounty of God’s creation.  We grow complacent and lead practical lives.  We miss the experience of awe, reverence, and wonder.”  Manning goes on to say, “for the eyes of faith, every created thing manifests the grace and providence of Abba.”

Can people really “become immune to the glory of Creation?”  Sad to say, the answer is yes.  It is a danger we all face in our fast-paced and busy lives.  If we are not careful we will miss not just the glory of Creation but the presence of the Creator found in it.  We will miss, as Manning notes, “the experience of awe, reverence, and wonder.”  That truly is a high price to pay!

Manning concludes the chapter mentioned above by inviting us to pray the following prayer: “Dear Lord, grant me the grace of wonder.  Surprise me, amaze me, awe me in every crevice of Your universe.  Delight me to see how Your Christ plays in ten thousand places, lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not His, to the Father through features of men’s faces.  Each day enrapture me with Your marvelous things without number.  I do not ask to see the reason for it all; I ask only to share the wonder of it all.”  I conclude this entry asking you to do the same.  Offer this prayer and see if you do not once again begin to see and experience more of the glory of Creation.

–Chuck

(I took the top image at Mount Rainier National Park, the middle image at Jenny Wiley State Park in Kentucky, and the bottom image at Yellowstone National Park.)

In a journal I keep in my study I have recorded the following words by an unknown writer: “God, are you real?” the child whispered. “God speak to me.”  And a meadowlark sang.  But the child did not hear.  So the child yelled, “God, speak to me!”  And the thunder rolled across the sky, but the child did not listen.  The child looked around and said, “God let me see you.”  And a star shone brightly, but the child did not notice.  And the child shouted, “God show me a miracle!”  And a life was born, but the child did not know.  So the child cried out in despair, “Touch me God, and let me know you are here!”  Whereupon God reached down and touched the child.  But the child brushed the butterfly away and walked away unknowingly.

I like this piece because it serves as a reminder that God often speaks to us and reveals Himself through nature.  I’m not sure, however, why the person who wrote it used a child as the primary subject.  I suspect that children are more likely to recognize God’s presence in Creation than most adults.  Children have not yet lost their sense of wonder; they typically maintain a simple trust that we adults struggle to keep as we grow older.   Perhaps that is why Jesus once spoke these words: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:2)

I do believe that God can speak through a meadowlark and loud claps of thunder.  I believe God can be seen in the stars shining above, as well as in the birth of a child.  I likewise believe that God’s touch can be felt when a butterfly alights on one’s face.  But in order to experience these things we must have the faith of a child.  Our grown up rational minds will likely fail to make the connection.

Yes, if we want to see and hear God more often, whether in nature or anywhere else, we should ask God to help us see through the eyes of a child.  Then, and only then, will we be able to look with eyes full of wonder and humility—the eyes that will enable us to recognize the face of God and to feel His gentle touch.

–Chuck

I photographed the rose-breasted grosbeak (sorry, I didn’t have a meadowlark image) and storm clouds in Kentucky.  The butterfly image was taken in Virginia.