jordanabina
TO BOLDLY GO
Why do humans have such a strong propensity to explore? Have you noticed this? The human race has advanced and grown because of many different reasons, but one of those reasons has to be our seemingly innate desire to explore and discover. We see the cave, and our imaginations travel to see how deep it may go. We see the glorious snow-capped mountain and wonder what the possibilities would be to stand atop it. We see the beautiful and bright horizon and ask where it might end and how we might get there. Why? Why do we care at all? Why do we feel beckoned into unknown places and moments? I believe this unquenchable thirst is a part of what makes us human, our hunger for exploration and our curiosity to know. Some intangible aspect of living on this planet engages our souls in a way that makes the question of is there more rise to the surface of every human being. It’s a call. It’s like nature itself has beckoned us to come, to go, to discover. And for centuries, men and women, for no other reason at all than because they needed to have answered that call, have risked their lives in search of what might be out there. I think of Amelia Earhart, a pioneer of aviation and women’s place in aviation. Earhart was the first woman and second person to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Her drive to do what had never been done and never been seen in aviation drove her to set records and open up a new reality to the world. In the end, it took her life, but she had already committed to the exploration. Listen to Earhart’s perspective on the thought of not returning from a long-distance flight, “Obviously, I faced the possibility of not returning when first I considered going. Once faced and settled there really wasn’t any good reason to refer to it.”
What could make a person leave what they know and seek out to explore, discover, and imagine what might be out there? For Earhart, it was the beauty of the world she saw and the drive she felt in her heart. “The stars seemed near enough to touch, and never before have I seen so many. I always believed the lure of flying is the lure of beauty, but I was sure of it that night,” said Earhart. It’s as if she figured out something we all feel but don’t always know how to express. Can you see it there in her words? The lure of flying is the lure of beauty. What was it about flying that seemed to attract Earhart? Why would she ever risk her life just to fly across an ocean? According to Earhart, the answer was beauty. She saw something up there in the clouds that she couldn’t get enough of. She experienced something one clear night that resonated with her soul and called her name in a way she had never imagined. She wasn’t seeking glory; she was seeking beauty. Beauty may be seen with our eyes, but it is recognized by our soul. You may hear a song that resonates with your style, but the soul is the part of you that confirms beauty. Beauty is confirmed in the soul, and for this purpose, your soul exists.
In his book The Weight of Glory, author C.S. Lewis said, “We do not want merely to see beauty…we want something else which can hardly be put into words- to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it.”
I believe this is in all of us: the ability to recognize beauty and a desire to seek it out, to seek out where it comes from, and to discover if there is more. This call to beauty has driven us up mountains, across deserts, and to the bottom of the ocean. It has been the force behind the greatest poems and music ever created. You and I have been invited in, by the artist, the soul chaser, to discover his paint strokes and His way. And the crazy part about it is that this world of discovery, this playground of the imagination given to us, is right outside our front doors.
THE OLDEST WORK OF ART
When an artist creates something, whether a painting, a dance, or a new recipe, when the musician finishes the work or the poet the stanza, the final step will always be sharing it with people. It’s the reason so many artists exist in the first place. After exploring the creative space, they want to share it with the world, allow others to join in the experience, and bask in the beauty. Your favorite song started off as a tune in someone’s head. Your favorite book was just a few notes on a napkin of a person who probably thought they would never make it as an author. But then, after all the work is done, they share it with the world, and we are the ones who were lucky enough to be there when they did. This is what artists do; they want to make an impact and say something, so they share their work with the world. This is true of artists because it is true of the artist. The work of the one who designed the soul is also hanging on the wall for us to see. It’s on full display.
I don’t know where you are right now, but I need you to do something. Perhaps you are sitting in a comfortable chair with your blanket and hot tea nearby. Perhaps you are listening to this book or reading it on lunch break at work. Wherever you may be, I need you to do something. I need you to get a view of the outside. Is there a window close by? Are you already outside reading? Wherever you are, get your eyes set on the outside world. In addition, try to set your gaze upon something you can only find in nature. Maybe it’s a tree, a bird, a cat, or the sky. Put your bookmark here and spend at least five minutes looking and observing. Meet me back here; I’ll do it, too.
Whether you realize it or not, you have just looked at the most incredible work of the most incredible artist of all time. The great blindness that has swept over humanity is that we live in a miraculously made place, and most days, we walk through it as if it were nothing. Because we’ve locked our souls away, we’ve been robbed of the full experience offered through the art of nature. Much like those who were scurrying like ants through the Louvre, missing the depths and the stories surrounding them, we also miss the story and the artist around us. This incredible world that you and I live in is the work that has been displayed for you and me to discover. It’s the setting of the adventure placed in the hearts of humanity. The call to discover is given in a place designed to be discovered. Nature is the backdrop of a much larger story taking place in and around us. And while your five senses are tools to experience this world, your soul was given to help you see the artist behind the work. Your soul was given to connect you with the hands of the one who made it all, the beautiful one. Nature is beautiful not because it just turned out that way but because there is a beautiful one who imagined it so. Nature is the greatest and oldest work of art we will ever see in our lives, but this goes far beyond what we’ve made it out to be. It is more than the Instagram shot and even the conquering of a mountain top; it’s much deeper and wider than those types of discoveries. Nature was given to you and me as a way for the artist behind it all to communicate with our souls.
INTRODUCING THE PEACH.
I cannot think of another fruit that tastes better than a peach. If I could choose any fruit in the world at the moment it was perfect to eat, I would choose a peach without hesitation. What a wonder a peach is! It fits softly into the size of your hand, not feeling quite like fruit at all, then explodes with juice at the first bite. Have you ever really eaten a peach without getting the juice all over your hands and face? Is it even a real peach if it doesn’t make a mess? Its texture is easy on the tongue, and that taste is delicious. Fruit perfectly matches the human experience, with a melange of tastes and smells coming together simultaneously. This makes me think of many other things I like that peaches make possible: a peach milkshake, a peach cobbler, and those peach gummy rings that get stuck in your teeth. Peaches are by far my most treasured fruit in all of nature. So, is that it? Peaches feel good and taste good; is that where the story ends? Do you think I may be taking the peach too seriously? Maybe.
I’ve noticed something interesting about human beings: we are easily impressed with the wrong things. Technology usually gets a lot of hype; we cannot get enough of the next gadget to come out. The camera doorbell, the thermostat that connects to wifi, cryptocurrency, neuro-chips, self-driving cars, and so much more by the time you read this. We cannot get enough of the next best thing to be invented by man. Something that’s become a part of our culture since the early 90’s are the conferences that reveal the next big thing. Steve Jobs made this an art form when he introduced the iPhone in 2007. Sporting his black turtleneck and dad jeans, strutting in front of a cinema-sized screen, he said this, “every once in a while, a revolutionary product comes along, that changes everything.” He wasn’t wrong. The iPhone has totally changed the game in the cell phone industry, but at the same time, nothing has changed. Compared to the peach, the iPhone is about as cool as a bag of marbles.
Are you ready to hear something amazing that you’ve forgotten? When you hold a peach in your hand, you hold a ball of nutrients designed to help nourish and equip your body. In just one peach, you can receive 6% of your daily vitamin A needs and 15% of your daily vitamin C needs. Vitamin A is a nutrient important to vision, growth, cell division, reproduction, and immunity. Vitamin C is essential to the growth, development, and repair of all body tissues. The skin of the peach itself is packed with some of the healthiest parts of the fruit. Beyond the fruit being delicious, it’s incredibly healthy for you and partners with you for your actual survival. But that’s not all. When you find the sad moment approaching you as the peach dwindles in size, you will notice something interesting about the peach. Underneath the delicious soft fruit is a hard and weird-looking object. It’s dark and rough and doesn’t really seem to flow well with the rest of the fruit. Guess what? It’s a seed. Yes, I’m telling you the truth; it’s an actual seed (I know, mind-blowing).
Now follow me here because this is going to get wild. If you were to take that seed and bury it in some dirt about a few inches deep, something insane will happen. Over time, that seed has the opportunity to grow into a full-grown peach tree and produce hundreds and hundreds of peaches. This incredible feat happens by a miracle process known as photosynthesis; which is the process plants use to turn sunlight into food. The Sun, a giant ball of hot plasma burning at the center of our solar system 147.6 km away from Earth, gives its energy to the leaves of the plant, and the roots of the plant absorb water, causing growth. The Sun is 109 times larger than Earth and is as powerful as 1018 megaton nuclear bombs. If it were any closer to Earth, we would all burn up; if it were any further, we would freeze. This incredible ball of fire partners with water to bring about life. Ah yes, water. Scientifically known as H2O, it covers roughly 70% of the earth’s surface while making up at least 50% of the human body. This transparent, odorless, and tasteless substance is vital to all survival on Earth. It partners with the sun to evaporate into the earth’s atmosphere to develop clouds that fill with a vapor form of water to be then dropped back to earth as rain, bringing ongoing nourishment to the peach seed in the ground. In addition, the plant leaves absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, the very thing we need to breathe. Inside, just one peach lives a thousand more. It is absolutely incredible.
Do you see what I’m getting at? I’m struck by the absolute genius of the artistry of nature. I just explained the smallest details regarding a peach; I can only imagine how much more there is to know and discover on this planet. But that’s the whole point! This is why it’s there in the first place, to be discovered. To be seen, eaten, slept in, swam in, climbed, and planted. And there is a reason your breath goes away at the sight of the mountain range, and there is a reason that you find peace in the meadow of flowers, and there is a reason the thunderstorm strikes terror into our hearts; it’s because they were made to resonate with you. Your soul was made to connect through them with the artist who made them. You see this everywhere. There’s a reason why we build our homes facing beautiful places. Whether it be the beachfront or the window with the view. Like Lewis said, we want to be a part of the beauty. This connection we feel is what our souls were meant for: to point to the mystery, to the artist, and to tell us there is more.
FINGERPRINTS OF PROVISION
What does your soul see? As we look at the natural world around us, what strokes of the artist resonate with us? What might we discover if we were to stop and look and meditate on this world? I see the hands of a provider. There is no way to deny it. The precision and design that contribute to Earth being a place where everything we need to survive comes from the ground is beyond anything we could ever imagine. Through exploring nature, I’ve realized that God wants to provide for me. And when I started listening to the words of Jesus, I began to see His provision more and more. In times of hurry, the miraculous can become mundane, and the song of creation falls mute. I see the hands of a provider. I see the work of the divine mind and the heart of love. Nature reveals a place to be enjoyed and stewarded. There should be no question of how important protecting and caring for this planet should be to everyone, especially followers of Jesus. This place was given to us to use but also to be taken care of.
As we marvel at our inventions and accomplishments, I’m reminded that every single thing that man has ever made in the history of our existence has been supplied by a natural resource, everything. Airplanes, books, homes, computers, toys, and clothes have come from the ingredients God put in the ground. The iPhone is made up of thirty different elements from the periodic table, all of them natural resources. My question is, who is the real genius? The ones who stack the blocks or the one who made the blocks from nothing? Can you even begin to imagine the intricacies of the world around you and all that’s taking place as you sit here in this moment? The oxygen you just took into your lungs just now is all part of a creative work of art. Our souls know the truth; they were made to help us recognize the divine hand behind what we see in nature. We don’t worship nature itself, for this is fruitless; we set our eyes on the artist behind it all.
BEARING FRUIT OF THE SOUL
I would be remiss not to add one last idea into the mix, another extraordinary aspect to understanding creation and the author of it all. Following Jesus is like spending time with the author of your favorite book or the writer of your favorite song. The more time you spend with them, the more insight you get into why they wrote the song or the purpose behind the sculpture. In light of nature and all created things, it is pretty crazy to see Jesus interact with it in the Bible. The painter enters the painting.
In a book by his friend John, Jesus says something profound to a group of His followers. “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” It’s easy to read this as a simple metaphor, and it would be if anyone else were saying it. But it isn’t just anyone else; it’s the artist Himself. He’s confirming what our souls have been feeling for the longest time; there is more going on here. For us, the vine and the fruit growing on it just seem normal; like they grow fruit because they grow fruit, nothing more. But Jesus, the artist, gives us the picture behind it all, the purpose of the work. It’s a picture of provision, a picture of relationship, and a picture of a desire to be connected. Jesus goes on to say, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” Perhaps, when the peach tree grows and bears fruit, it fully reflects the artist and, in doing so, fulfills its purpose. In the same way, Jesus says that when you stay connected to Him and allow Him to help you grow, you fulfill your purpose. The tree does not eat its own fruit; it grows so the world may be nourished. This is the same for anyone choosing to follow Jesus; we don’t grow for ourselves; we are meant to grow for the betterment of others. It’s when believers lose sight of this that things turn sour. God shows us provision so that we may also be a source of provision for others. The seed planted just from one fruit can grow and become something far beyond the scope of our imagination.
GO FORTH
One last thing about the iPhone and the culture it’s helped create. Surely, you’ve noticed that posting pictures of yourself on some cliff or a great hike on social media is very popular. People pose in a way that makes it seem like they’re gazing into the wide unknown of nature #Nature. This cracks me up. No matter what happens with technological advances, it is no surprise that the greatest way to put them to use is to capture a photo or video of what has been in front of us all along. Every time we return to those photos, something seems to be missing. The moment we were in when we took that photo is gone; something is absent in the photo. Perhaps our souls don’t share the love for the photo either but were in some ways responsible for the picture being taken in the first place. If you see something in nature that captures you, takes your breath away, or fills you with awe, keep your phone in your pocket and drink up the moment. Let your soul teach you about the artist who captures His audience through the majesty of the earth. He wants you to see it; He made it to be seen.
Would your imagination allow you to believe that the universe was made just to be seen by you? To be experienced by you and for your enjoyment? Not because you and I are important but because the artist has made you for this purpose. Because He wants to connect with our souls. He’s everywhere. The Psalmist says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” Nature provides us with an up close and personal look at the artist’s fingerprints behind it all. If the beauty of nature leads to the worship of nature, we fall short of its purpose. We don’t worship nature because we find it beautiful; we seek to connect our souls with the one who made it beautiful. There is a world out there made for discovery, not just about the earth, but about the one who made it. A deep, rich, and majestic work of provision.
But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.
– Job 12:7-10
