Mike Paschall . com

We do not begin life on our own. We do not finish it on our own. Life, especially when we experience by faith the complex interplay of creation and salvation, is not fashioned out of our own genetic lumber and cultural warehouses. It is not hammered together with the planks and nails of our thoughts and dreams, or feelings and fancies. We are not self-sufficient. We enter a world that is created by God, that already has a rich history and is crowded with committed participants—a world of animals and mountains, of politics and religion; a world where people build houses and raise children, where volcanoes erupt lava and rivers flow to the sea; a world in which, however carefully we observe and watch and study it, surprising things keep on taking place (like rocks turning into pools of water). We keep on being surprised because we are in on something beyond our management, something over our heads.

In prayer we realize and practice our part in this intricate involvement with absolutely everything that is, no matter how remote it seems to us or how indifferent we are to it. This prayer is not an emotional or aesthetic sideline that we indulge in after our real work is done; it is the connective tissue of our far-flung existence. The world of creation interpenetrates the world of redemption. The world of redemption interpenetrates the world of creation. The extravagantly orchestrated skies and the exuberantly fashioned earth are not background to provide a little beauty on the periphery of the godlike ego; they are the large beauty in which we find our true home, room in which to live the cross and Christ expansively, openhearted in praise.

—From Earth and Altar by Eugene Peterson

I love this. Peterson offers a wonderful reminder that there is more for us to consider… more to regard… when beholding God’s creation. No doubt, it is exhilarating to see Colorado’s purple mountain majesty, aqua-blue waters of the Caribbean, and the grasslands of Kentucky! Drive through the Black Hills of Wyoming! It’s gorgeous in every direction! Yet, I wonder if we ever consider that this is part of God’s love package? In other words, I think it’s safe to say, God is emotionally vested in ALL of creation. Do we realize that? Do we care about that?

I notice there is a lot of disdain for “conservationist i.e. environmental activist,” especially when it comes to the economy (which is often our fear induced bottom line), but we all could do with a little more environmental sensitivity and nature care when it comes to honoring the vastness of the God’s love. God loves what God creates. Of course… that is you and me, but it also includes what is on, above, and below the planet’s natural surface. —MDP