Have you ever been to a beautiful place and felt like you didn’t belong there, that you were disrupting nature somehow?
Photo by Cris Ferreira
I’ve just returned from a trip to Campos do Jordão, a beautiful city in the mountains of the state of São Paulo, about 3 hours from São Paulo city. It is a peaceful and quiet place surrounded by nature.
One day I went up a small hill that has a beautiful view (check out the photo above). While I was there, taking pictures and admiring God’s amazing work, I got upset because of the insects flying around. There weren’t many of them, but every now and then one of them flew near me, which completely disrupted my contemplation.
I was born and raised in São Paulo, a big metropole, one of the largest cities of the world, with tons and tons of concrete all around. I am a “big city” kind of person. Although I love taking pictures and admiring beautiful landscapes and sceneries, I have a problem with some of the common things from the countryside, mainly insects.
So there I was, admiring the view, when I caught myself wishing that the other living creatures (bugs and bees, basically) weren’t there, so I could enjoy the view peacefully. Could I be more egotistical?
There I was, stepping in their territory, and wishing them away, just for my own comfort.
I looked around and I saw houses and also a few pieces of land that were being prepared to have houses built on them, and I noticed how in fact we, humans, disrupt nature.
As soon as human beings arrive at a place, we start cutting down trees and spreading concrete all around. Whenever man arrives at a place, life is replaced by non-life.
Then I thought about how many living creatures were affected by each construction that man made there.
When Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden, they lived in harmony with all creation. But when they sinned, the harmony was broken (check Genesis 3:17-21).
Ever since the Fall, human beings don’t seem to be able to get along with nature. If you live in the country, you’re better off. But in a major city, everywhere you look you see how man works hard to eliminate nature’s presence.
But God’s original plan remains, and one day everything will be as it was meant to be. All creation, including mankind, will be in harmony again. Isaiah chapter 11 gives us an idea of how it will be:
The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them.The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
All creation longs for that day, when harmony will be established again between mankind and nature, between creation and Creator.