August just lies down and stretches itself out over South
Carolina. Hot, always hot. But sometimes very wet as well, as it was
last week. As a pluviofile (my new
favorite word…means a lover of rain, someone who finds joy and peace of mind
during rainy days), I have been joyful indeed.
The hot, wet weather changes our landscape, making it
greener and adding embellishments. As I was
leaving to go into town, I saw great fields and rings of toadstools filling the
lawns of our community. I call them
toadstools; you can call them fairy seats if that makes them more appealing to
you.
And that’s the point.
When I have found them on my lawn in the past, I have gone after them
with a vengeance and a shovel. I would
have called them nasty things.
But as I was driving out that morning, it struck me that
they are quite beautiful. Everything we
see, smell, taste, touch, and hear is open to perception and interpretation. And nowhere is that more obvious than in God’s
creation. Just ask one or two people
how they feel about spiders or snakes.
When I was about seven, my daddy had to go to
Ft. Polk, Louisiana for his work with the National Guard. Hot, dusty Ft. Polk. This was the fifties and I’m fairly sure our
car had no air conditioning. We found a
park for our picnic on the way down. It
had lots of trees and looked cool and refreshing. We unpacked our lunch.
With a sandwich midway to my mouth, I looked around and
up and noticed Spanish moss for the first time.
I finished my sandwich and drink in minutes. I wanted out of there! It looked spooky, eerie, and ghostly to
me. I had no affection for it
whatsoever. Here in South Carolina many
years later, I will stop and pick it up off the road to take home and throw
into my live oak. Now I see it as silky,
charming, and southern.
How I perceive my world depends on how I feel about its
Creator. When I walk, I marvel at God’s
good and perfect gifts. And I thank my
Creator God, Elohim. Aside from Abba
Father, I favor this name for God above the others. The word in Hebrew has a masculine, plural
ending and represents the Three in One.
All three persons of the Trinity – God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son,
and the Holy Spirit – were present (and worked!) at the creation of the heavens
and the earth.
My God made a world for me that reflects the facets of
His nature…beautiful, breath-taking, creative, majestic, powerful, and whimsical. When I value Him, I love my surroundings
because He never tires of giving me gifts from nature.
Psalm 148:2-13
Praise the LORD from the heavens, praise him in the
heights above.
Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his heavenly
hosts.
Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining
stars.
Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the
skies.
Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he commanded and
they were created.
He set them in place for ever and ever; he gave a decree that
will never pass away.
Praise the LORD from
the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his
bidding, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and
all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, kings of the earth and all
nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, young men and maidens, old men
and children.
Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone
is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.
