The air was clear, the sun was just beginning to peak over the tip of the distant mountain with the valley below half in darkness and half washed in a warm glow of pale orange light.  The sounds on the hiking trail were all in unison as if they were stretching out and singing the joy of another day.  It was in this moment that I think I finally understood what God meant when he said… “Good.”

I was fortunate to be in a very active boy scout troop when I was a young teen.  The scene I described above was just one of hundreds that I was privileged to witness as we broke camp and set out on a hike of a dozen miles or more through mountains.

There was one thing we were taught if nothing else stuck, “Leave it better than you found it.”  That lesson has served me well as an adult.  With a simple attitude of care and concern for the space around us, we not only take care of the creation that God set before our feet, but we ensure that our children are able to experience it with the same amazement and wonder as we have found.

I am by no means… a tree hugger.  I guess you could say that I fall more into the tree respector category.  I am not pompous enough to think that I can personally destroy a planet.  If you really cut down to the heart of the issue… “save the planet” is a moronic concept.  What we are really saying is, “save the humans.”  The planet will not destruct, but we can impact conditions to a point where we can’t live on it any longer.

God created this place for you and me to enjoy and give us a place to live out our relationship with Him.  When creation was completed, God stepped back and said… “This… is good!”   What kind of faithful people have we become when we stand up and say, “We live in a messed up place, and can’t wait until Jesus comes back and God makes us a new place to live.”  To speak up and proclaim that this earth isn’t what it should be… is basically saying that what God proclaimed as “good” you have proclaimed as “not so perfect”.

I respect this earth and have learned to treat it with reverence.  I don’t worship it… but I do listen as every tree, bird, animal, river, storm, flower, and all things call out God’s name and reflects His majesty in every little detail.

We celebrate Earth Day to raise an awareness of what we have at our feet.  I challenge each of you to celebrate Earth Day with a reverence and a thankful heart that God did this for us… and without Him, we could not survive.  Our challenge is to wake up and sing along with all of creation as we magnify God’s glory and majesty.  We should begin to care about even the smallest things, because everything has a place.

I often think about my adventures through the Appalachain Trail, The Stone Door, Fall Creek Falls, RiverMont Trail, Camp Jackson, Buffalo River, Pascagoula River, Buck’s Pocket, Pike’s Peak, The Tetons, Yellowstone, Rainbow Falls, Horn Island, Parker Lake, Tennessee River, The Pinnacle, Cumberland Caverns, Russell Cave, and so many more…

God was in each of those places… and all of them pointed to His Majesty.

May you see the earth through God’s eyes today and in unison with Him, call it “good.”  Respect this place and leave it better than you found it.

Peace,
Greg
Acts 4:31
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