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On a recent morning, as I was driving to church, I noticed something; something I don’t take account of enough. The sheer beauty of everything around me. Whenever I take this route, which is on the expressway, I’m normally barreling down the road at speeds that provide the functionality for me to quickly get to where I’m going. I’m not usually conscious of what’s around me. It’s been unusually wet in Arkansas for the last few months. This moisture has contributed to keeping things very green. Maybe it was the greenery that caught my mind’s attention? If not that, then certainly the majesty of the sky. I’m driving in an eastwardly direction when going to church, and the sun is at its early stages of ascension at this point. The flora, the sky, the sun, all spoke to me gently. Their voices were alluring and caressing. They wanted me to look, consider their beauty, consider the art of the creator.

As I drove, I considered the words from the holy scriptures, where god has finished his work of creation. Genesis 1:31 says,” Then god saw everything that he had made, and indeed it was very good…” We just finished a week-long study of stewardship in this year’s vacation bible school. We covered five lessons on this topic: Stewardship of the earth, our lives, our resources, our relationships and the gospel. Maybe I was experiencing some residual effects of these wonderful lessons, as I drove speedily down the expressway? If so, I would say that’s not a bad thing. Isn’t the holy word supposed to influence our lives. Isn’t it intended to be more than a point on a church program, or entertainment from the pulpit?

I’m always amazed whenever I read the story of creation, up to the point before mankind is deposited amongst all the beauty god spoke into existence. The account in Genesis tells us that he put the first people here to work, and to be good stewards of all that he provided for their existence. From the looks of things, I would say unequivocally that we’re not doing a very good job. By the way, taking care, in my interpretation, means not only the beauty that seemingly sprouts from the earth, but each other too.

Lately, I’ve been fascinated by all that’s occurring on the African continent. Africa is a continent that’s rich in resources: people, minerals, human energy and ingenuity. There seems to be a strong interest on the part of Europe, China, America and lately Russia to establish business relationships with countries on the continent. It seems hundreds of years of colonization (not by China and Russia) didn’t provide enough time to siphon off enough of the various nectars from the beauty the continent offers. I pray that there will not be a point in the future, long after I have transitioned, that Africa will not be suffering from damage caused by greed.

The beauty of it all is all around us. As the saying goes: Stop and smell the roses. The aroma of the creation is to behold. Let your senses experience it to the fullest they are capable of sensing.

I’m old and blessed…hope you will be too.