If you had a chance to read my last blog, you’ll remember
that I talked about why it can feel so good to be outside. However, you may
have been thinking “I hate being outside, I really enjoy drinking my venti,
extra-hot, non-fat, no foam, double shot vanilla latte in the comfort of my
perfectly designed living room. And yeah, it is March and it is 12°, you want
me to go out in this… are you mad?” Perhaps, but I wonder what could bring us
to the place where we find more peace in a man-made environment than in the one
God made for us. So, this time, I’ve decided to take a look at reasons we find
ourselves at enmity with nature.
Like man, nature was a perfect creation designed by God to
do His will. Unfortunately, we chose to lash out against our Creator and this
resulted in very severe consequences. Man was ultimately condemned to death,
but there were several other pieces to this sentence that I think get
overlooked. First, God said “cursed is the ground because of you…thorns and thistles
it shall bring forth for you…” (Genesis 3:17-18 ESV) That beautiful, abundant
soil was no longer going to provide copious provision; it would now produce
useless plants that choke out the useful. Second, “therefore the Lord God sent
him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.”
(Genesis 3:23 ESV). Now, being outside was going to mean WORK. This seems to be
one of the biggest reasons we avoid getting outside, it’s no longer easy.
Nature isn’t always pretty or user friendly, it can take effort to find
enjoyment outside. Lastly, we find in Romans 8:20-22 that “creation was subjected to
futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the
creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the
freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole
creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.”
(ESV) Through no fault of its own, nature lost its function. The earth would
now be ravaged by storms, earthquakes, and drought. It became hostile towards
man in ways that were never meant to be. It longs to be restored at the coming
of Christ, it feels enslaved and corrupt.
No
wonder it can be difficult to spend a relaxing, enjoyable time in nature; it
fights against us. Yet at the same time, we are drawn to it. As God’s creation,
nature is beautiful and points us to Him as it worships; it is the setting we
were made for. For as much as things
have changed due to our rebellion, much has stayed the same. Our ultimate goal
should be to have an intimate relationship with our Creator. God wants us to
spend time with Him, to get to know Him. What better way to do this than to
spend time with Him in the Garden? Don’t worry about the potential conflict
with nature, God said it would be this way, seek Him out with diligence even in
the midst of the struggle.
By C Sampson
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