What's good about it?

Heading for a civilized bike ride around the lake, Julie and I spotted trails through the brushy forest and opted to ride there instead. It was great fun, but that night I realized that my failure to learn a third grade science lesson had once again caught up with me. I never can recognize poison ivy.

I am not the only one with the problem, as experts offer to identify the plants through submitted photos on the web. I was glad to see that they also suggest innumerable remedies for the rash--everything from blow dryers and pine tar to steroid injections. But it was one of the FAQ's that I found especially interesting: "What's good about poison ivy?"

My answer, if any, would be "not much." But the website observed that birds and animals can use it for food and in some places it holds the soil against erosion. Still, "we probably don't know enough about it" to understand its true value for the environment and for humans.

Evidently the writer did not believe in the randomness of naturalistic evolution, implying that there must be some purpose to this pernicious plant. But in spite of the rash on my legs I have to say: the purpose implied is far too small. Why must animals and plants have value for us? Why must they perform some function? They have been created not for us, but for the glory of God. In more technical language, Karl Barth wrote, "What is proclaimed in this teleology of creation is not the glory of humans but the glory of the God who has turned to them in His mercy."

So how does poison ivy glorify God? I have some ideas, but they would be mere guesses, and this is probably not the best time to ask me. What I do know is this: "All things [even things I do not especially like] have been created through Him and for Him" (Col. 1:16).

Bob

GO FORTH

Forget talking about nature from afar. It is time you engaged it up close and personal. Become one with it. Frolic in it. Throw yourself at it and hope you come out alive. Try something completely new. Here is an idea: go to www.otterbar.com and sign up for their fabulous week of kayaking in northern California. It is the best adventure value around. Excellent instruction, gourmet food, beautiful setting, interesting people, decent price. If this West Texas desert rat can do it, so can you! No better way to move outside yourself and live expansively.

You start out in a pond. How hard can that be? Yes, you get wet. Yes, you often view the river while inadvertently cruising upside down in the water. Yes, I received the award for the most "hang time" - the one who spent the most time communing with the fishes. But my week was beyond the box. The Otter Bar folks have never even heard of a box. Give yourself seven days of learning a new skill with the best kayakers in the nation. Reg had me go down one set of rapids with my eyes closed. Scary! Reminded me of this life with God sometimes. Reg beside me in the safety kayak. Me trusting him and letting go of my need to control everything. God delighted me with a winsome river otter swimming beside my boat at the bottom of the rapids. A reward for living to tell the tale.

No, Otter Bar has not paid me for advertising. It is unfair to keep wholesome adventure as a secret. Take yourself. Take your significant other. Take your teens. They have a separate camp for the teens. Yes, the teens will kick your behind on the river. Embarrassing, but true. Think about going for a new kind of family vacation. Or perhaps that silver anniversary. Maybe even a graduation present. In the meantime, visit your local arboretum or hike the trails in the nature preserve or go to your neighborhood park to chase butterflies. Feel Spring warm your face. Go forth. Live. Bring back stories of God and His creation. Up close and personal.
Paddle on,
Joni