A New Perspective

And God said, “Behold I have given you every plant yielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.”  And it was so. Genesis 1:29-30  

For there is hope for a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its shoots will not cease. Though its root grows old in the earth, and its stump dies in the ground, yet at the scent of water it will bud and put forth branches like a young plant. Job 14:7

Each year our family looks forward to gathering for a week in Minnesota in the Canadian Boundary Waters. The historical camp where we stay features log and stone cabins, a big clear lake, fishing, boating, beautiful sunsets, and all the glory of the Superior National Forest. There are no outside world distractions. But this summer was different. The area was in severe drought. It had been a dry winter with little snowfall, the huge lake was down at least 2 feet, and a cloudy haze fell over the waters. There were 143 forest fires burning in Minnesota and Canada. Several were close to our camp. While in town, we passed numerous firefighting groups from the US Forest Service and neighboring states. We watched as helicopters and pontoon planes flew over our lake on fire scouting missions as well as hauling water to dump on the fires. There were no pretty sunsets, no evening campfires, the air left an acid taste in your mouth, and those with allergies suffered. A normal deep and cold lake felt warm, and the fishing was poor. I could not help but think that global warming was striking this beautiful place and that it would continue to dominate it for the future unless things changed.

In Genesis, God gives us all of nature. It is up to us to preserve it. Think about the trees, the birds, the lakes, the wildlife, the wildflowers and the beauty of the earth. Pray for those brave firefighters who willingly work to save the forests and the towns. Check the internet for “Ten ways you can fight global warming”. Consider the ways you can change to help save our planet.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, you have given us more than we can ever thank you for. Help us as we try to turn things around and return the glory of nature before it is too late. Give us the strength to change, to challenge our ways of thinking about our resources, and to glorify you in everything we do. Amen

Nancy Hall