Meandering
in the garden ...

In the beginning
And out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. Genesis 2.9

Last spring I took a few days off for some quiet study and to enjoy the beauty of the creation at this time of year. As I meandered through the East Texas countryside, I imagined a conversation that must have taken place during the forming of our world.

Picture this if you will…

God: Okay, Mother Nature, I've finished the water, the sky, the moon… How are you coming with those plants?

Mother Nature: Well, I know we've done several trees, but I still think we need at least two more.

God: Two more! Are you kidding! We've done thousands of species of trees, surely that's enough! I'm ready to get to the inhabitants of the world, the reason for the creation itself and you're still talking about plants!

MN: I know, I know, but just two more please. I want one that is very tall and has long very spindly needles, and another that will have beautiful deep pink blooms before the wide leaves appear.

God: Needles instead of leaves! Mother, why would you want that? Man and woman don't need something that will cause unnecessary pain! I'm creating this world for their pleasure, a place of safety and you're talking about spindly needles!

MN: I know, dear, but sometimes the pain of life is necessary to produce the full bloom of creation. This pine tree will provide the necessary acid for the lovely azaleas we created. The second tree, the redbud, makes itself so apparent, it will be a very visible sign that winter is past.

God: mutter, mutter, mutter.....

MN: Come on, Father, we really need them! People may come upon sorrow in their lives and they will need regular reminders that the world has goodness. They will experience your love for them in the beauty of the earth. Trust me, beauty has healing power. Your children need to know we spent much time and effort creating the spring landscape with so many different shades of green, with the warmer sunshine to melt the snow, with the fresh smells of flowers….

God: Healing power… you're right, my dear, I do want mankind to remember that there will always be a time to celebrate change, a time to anticipate the coming of new seasons, physical comfort and esthetics being of importance in the creation… I suppose we DO need to go a little overboard with the beauty, for I'm afraid our children may be exposed to some elements of their own making which will not provide joy and comfort for one another. Wartime will be easier to endure if there is certainty of coming peace. Man's inhumanity to man desperately needs to be tempered with very visible signs of My reminders of My Love. Perhaps the green hills, the blooming trees and the children playing in the sunshine will remind man and woman of the overwhelming amount of goodness they have everyday.

Okay, Mother Nature, two more trees… but after that... PEOPLE! What an adventure that will be!


Note: My dear husband,Dennis, wasn't so sure there actually was a Mother Nature …I assured him that she definitely was around during creation, for if God is only of the male persuasion, He would have thought one moon, one flower, one tree would be quite sufficient! It definitely takes a woman to come up with the "need" for such variety! Our world is the very expression of the wholeness of God, The Creator's careful consideration to meet all of our needs….even the esthetic ones!