God’s Created World

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”

Revelation 21:5

The compassion for God’s creation lingers as part of the legacy of St. Francis* of Assisi. In fact, a crumbling statue of St. Francis embracing a small bird graces my garden and reminds me of my own increasing sensitivities to God’s creation.

Spending time in the woodlands of East Texas also increases my sensitivity to creation as seen in the rhythm of the resident wildlife. I notice their schedules and seasonal routines: The doe and her fawn graze early mornings in the pasture below my house; Cardinals arrive at dusk to feed; the racoons raid the birdfeeder just before midnight; the mud swallow returns each spring to her refurbished nest on the gutter under the eve of my roof; and the Great Horned Owl hoots most evenings after the sun sets.

Each spring a Carolina Wren weaves a nest of pine needles on my back porch. This year she selected my water bucket for raising her nestlings. She flits in and out within feet of my rocking chair.

I easily imagine that Adam and Eve knew this sacred rhythm within their own Garden life—until things changed, impacting their world as well as mine. But then I remember that one day I will not need to ignore the stinging wasps, biting mosquitos, and the limp of an aging donkey that disrupt the flow of my harmonious little world. My soul longs for that time when I daydream about the vision John recorded in Revelation, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away…” (21:1).

Father, thank you for the gift of imagination as I attempt to envision Earth as a new creation. I find comfort knowing that You, too, grieve over death and the decay of your creation and eagerly await that day when You will make everything new. Until that time, guide me in caring for my tiny plot of creation with respectful diligence. In Your Creator Son’s name, Jesus, I pray, amen.

Linda Lesniewski          

* Italian Catholic friar, (c. 1181-1226)