Imago Gloriae: The Chorus of Creation

 

On the trail to Acadia Dunes (picture taken during the integration day).

    “How can people not see God?” was the question I kept asking myself over the course of our second integration day. This question occurred to me as we began our walk through Pete’s Woods, and continued to be at the back of my mind as we hiked Arcadia Dunes and searched for Petoskey stones  at Lake Michigan. Even Professor Dornbos’ diatribe on ticks and the horrors of lime disease encouraged me to reflect on God and His wonderful act of creation. The focus of this integration day was the topic of sustainability – especially in areas where mankind's footprint has already made its mark. We started the day in Pete’s Woods, where, with the help of our peers, we saw the great diversity present in herbaceous plants, insects, birds and trees. My group was dominated by students from the field biology class (and wow, they are nerds!). I learned a great deal about the different herbaceous plants in the area through sight, smell, and unfortunately, taste. We talked about the False Solomon’s Purse, with its small green “drop” flowers, and the pitcher-shaped Jack-in-the-Pulpits which attract pollinators by the bad smell they produce. The field biology students also coerced me into smelling and tasting the wild leak – in order to confirm that I could identify it in an emergency. We saw the patriotic and obviously superior Canadian Violets, and marveled at the woven leaves and medicianl properties of the Sessile Bell Wart. Each of these plants has a unique function and purpose in an environment, and their presence can indicate many things about the health of an ecosystem. This concept is best exemplified by the presence of Large Flowered Trilliums in Pete’s Woods. The presence of Large Flowered Trilliums is seen as an indication of a relatively healthy and untouched environment, free from human interference (BWSR, 2014). After reading the Prance article on sustainability, and hearing Professor Dornbos talk about the environmental protections surrounding this area of Michigan, it was encouraging to know that Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy has seen positive results in their task to preserve and conserve the natural habitat as demonstrated by this flower. There were other signs of the attempt to act sustainably. Besides the main loop of trail, very little indications of human presence could be noted. There were no human-made side trails off the main loop, and no garbage littered the trail. We were free to soak in the beauty of God’s creation apart from the hustle and bustle of human activity. It was as we walked the trail, taking in the diversity and complexity of God’s creation that I first thought “wow, how can you not see the glory of God in creation?” 

Examples of the amazing diversity in plants and animals that live in and around Pete's woods and the dunes! (Pictures taken during the Integration Day)

    At our next two stops, we were able to take in the beauty of lake Michigan and the dunes that surround this Great Lake. We learned how the conserved area of Acadia and Sleeping Bear dunes are the homes to many endangered and protected species (such as the Pitcher Thistle and the Piping Clover). We also reflected on the impact of human interactions and movement when we talked about blowout and erosion of the “Old Baldy” dune. However, as Professor Dornbos pointed out, we could also see the slow recovery of the ecosystem by the presence of colonizer and successor species. This was a good reminder of the ability God has given creation to adapt and recover – but also the role humans have as the vice-reagents of creation to encourage and assist in the protection of these environments.

Acadia Dunes overlooking lake Michigan (Pictures taken during the integration day) 

On the shore of lake Michigan near the Platte River (Picture taken during the integration day)

    When we were sitting at the top of the dune overlooking lake Michigan I was overwhelmed with wonder of God and His majestic works. Even though I was physically experiencing the landscape before me, I could hardly believe it was real. As I began to look closer, I noticed more of the life around me – birds that flew close to the water, and small insects scurrying across the sand. In his article, Prance stated that two of the reasons why Christians need to be concerned with conservation is because it is a matter of justice, and a fulfillment of the command to act as Vice-regents over creation (Prance, 2007). We need to care for creation because it points us towards God and allows us to glorify and worship Him. Preserving the landscape in order to preserve natural beauty and endangered species is an honorable and justifiable decision – God certainly calls us to care and protect what He has created (Genesis 1:28). But our chief end as image-bearers of God is to love and glorify our Creator. As Romans 1:20 states, God’s creation leaves all people without excuse for fulfilling this calling. The astounding beauty and complexity of life seen in Pete’s Woods and at Acadia Dunes reminded me of this important fact (Job 12:7-10). To act sustainably is to not only support both human and non-human life, and to resist the temptations of greed short-term gain, but also to see our image-bearing as a way to honor and glorify our Creator. It is also important to remember that God has given us dominion to  cultivate the world around us – and not everything can be protected from human development. But this does not mean we can abuse, waste or destroy what God has created. We are allowed to use and even consume creation’s resources, but unfortunatley we have not always done so with care.

The blowouts caused by humans on the dunes, and even the presence of blood-thirsty ticks reminded me of another important idea – that we live in an imperfect world. What God has made “good,” man has destroyed (Prance, 2007). The work that Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy is attempting to complete in conservation and ecology is not going to be easy. Without the proper motivation, a project this large could easily fall apart. Christians must provide the ethical and moral standpoint behind such a project, understanding that they need to fulfill the command to act as stewards of Creation (Prance, 2007). The active participation of Christians is required to not only assist in bringing this project to fruition, but also provide perspective upon the motivation behind performing this important task (Psalm 19:1). It is part of our witness to act in a sustainable manner. If we can see God even in the broken down ecosystems that are around us, how much more would natural habitats command our worship if they are preserved and nurtured?

References

BWSR. (2014). Trillium grandiflorum (large-flowered trillium). Minnesota Wildflowers. https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/large-flowered-trillium

Prance, G. (2007). Sustainability of the Non-human World. In When Enough is Enough (pp. 69–78). essay, Apollos.