A Walk in the Garden

America recently observed another Earth Day.  This is the day we are to make an extra effort to make our world "green."  You see this term everywhere, from detergents to cars to businesses.  Honestly it is a great thing.

Earth Day started in 1970 by Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, "to shake up the political establishment and force this issue onto the national agenda."  At that time, we, as Americans were using quite a bit of leaded gas in our starving V8's.  There were manufacturers who had smoke stacks bellowing black clouds; acid rain was common.

But there were a few other things that happened in 1970. Kent State shootings, the advent of fiber optics, "Bridge Over Troubled Water," Apollo 13, the Beatles' last album, the death of Jimi Hendrix, the birth of Mariah Carey, and the meltdown of fuel rods in the Savannah River nuclear plant near Aiken, South Carolina -- an incident not acknowledged for 18 years.

In any case, Earth Day brings awareness to all, about the fight for a clean environment.  How great would it be, if we conserved enough fuel that the pumps would show fuel to be less than $2.00 per gallon?  Or if we didn't have to worry about the ice packs in the Arctic and Antarctica melting and covering land from rising oceans?  How awesome would it be to see colorful plants and flowers everywhere, instead of a strip of land the size of a postage stamp for our parks and gardens?

All of this would be great, but at one time, we had a garden much more beautiful than our minds can imagine.  Trees with enough food for all, the finest plants, enough water from rivers to never need a sprinkler system or or worry about droughts.  It was a perfectly prepared garden where we called home and were blessed to be able to tend to it.  There were beautiful animals living in harmony.  WOW!!! 

We messed this up though, and the gates have been locked on us, but one day we will see it again.  Revelation 22:1-5 says:  “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.  In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month.  The leaves of the tree were for the healing of nations.  And there shall be no more curse but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.  They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.  There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light.  And they shall reign forever and ever.”

This is the earth day I live for.  I love our environment, and I do everything I can to make my carbon footprint as small as possible, but I live for the New Jerusalem where the tree of life symbolizes the eternal life God has made available to humankind.  The tree of life was in the Garden of Eden, but Adam and Eve fell into sin and never ate of its fruit.  If you believe Jesus is your savior, and have accepted His gift, you, with me and many others, will partake in this tree's fruit. 

Let's make it a point to live and prepare for eternal life.  To ensure that we understand where our eternal place will be, but also the eternal place of our neighbors, our friends, our families, and the hard one, our enemies.  There is a tree filled of fruit waiting for us.  Just imagine how juicy and tasty this fruit will be.

“Dear Father, I pray we are more conscious with the earth you have given us.  I thank you for this land.  I pray that I stay focused on that tree of life.”

Nick Manzie