The world is spinning – seemingly out of control. Divergence not diversity is the theme. Lies trump truth. Pain and hurt, shame and guilt abound. Vile comments, pictures, and behaviors sear our souls. Violence and human misery cause our hearts to despair. How can we live in these times? What can we do to share the mind of Christ in 2018? The word that floated into my mind as I pondered how to live faithfully in today’s world is HARMONY. In this post, guest blogger Carol McGeehan shares the importance and benefits of living in harmony with God’s creation.
In Genesis we read that “In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth, the seas and all that is in them.” And we learn that God declared his Creation good. Creation was God’s first incarnation and revelation. The natural world reveals God’s goodness and beauty, his intelligence, and extravagant love. God has been sustaining his Creation ever since He said, “Let there be light.”
When God made humans, he entrusted us to tend his Garden. We are part of and also caretakers of Creation in partnership with our Creator. What an awesome privilege and responsibility we have been given! All creatures are interconnected in this sacred web of life. We all need clean air and water and healthy food to survive, so whenever we misuse or harm any part of creation, we harm ourselves. When in our greed we pollute our air and water,destroy the forests, deplete earth’s resources, and drive species into extinction, we destroy the intricate balance of nature and create chaos where God created harmony. We need to respect nature and live in harmony within the interdependent circle of life in order to survive and thrive now and in future generations.
As nature sustains our bodies, we also need its healing power to nourish our souls. In this age of hurry and worry, we find peace and renewal in the silence of the woods, the splendor of sunsets, the songs of birds, the waves on the beach, or the majesty of a mountain. Nature’s beauty stuns our senses and stirs our souls to sing praise to our Creator. My favorite hymn says, “O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder consider all the worlds thy hands have made…then sings my soul…my God how great thou art”. Our souls long for harmony with God, each other, and Creation. We long to go back to Eden.
I long to go back to Eden, where all is pure and holy,
where God walks his Garden in sacred harmony
with man and nature and every creature in his Creation,
and the Tree of Life stands tall
beside the River of Living Water, as before Adam’s fall.
When God brings rebirth to Heaven and Earth in a new tomorrow
there will be no more tears or fears, no sin or sorrow.
All Creation will be one with the Creator, his Spirit and his Son.
Then the world is remade whole,
and all will be well with my soul.
Living as Apprentices 
This is beautiful. You have probably corrected this error *Heave*l I’m way behind on my reading.
*”If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night, *
* I’ll bet they’d live a lot differently.*
*Bill Waterson*
On Sat, Mar 3, 2018 at 8:26 AM, Living as Apprentices wrote:
> livingasapprentices posted: ” The world is spinning – seemingly out of > control. Divergence not diversity is the theme. Lies trump truth. Pain and > hurt, shame and guilt abound. Vile comments, pictures, and behaviors sear > our souls. Violence and human misery cause our hearts to desp” >
Carol,
Beautiful! I could see and hear the beauty you described. Now it is (long past) time to live in harmony with the wonders around us.
AMEN