The Earth Will Win
Photo by Elena Mozhvilo on Unsplash
Life Is Beautiful When We Live In Harmony
by Eric Elkin
The earth will win in the end. If there is one truth for us to fully grasp in the modern world, this is it. The planet, floating in a universe greater than our imagination can conceive, knows how to take care of itself. The evidence of this truth is overwhelming. Yet, some people still think humans have the power to destroy and/or save the planet.
If you think my suggestion is insane, consider this for a moment. The earth is estimated to be roughly 4.5 billion years old. Human ancestors have roamed the planet's surface for somewhere between 5-7 million years. However, research has shown humans have only been productive contributors to the planet for less than 100,000 years. How did the earth survive without us?
Maybe your approach is we cannot save the planet, but we can certainly destroy it. I would question that approach as well. For years, Cleveland, Ohio, dedicated itself to the destruction of its water sources. Humans could not eliminate Lake Erie or the Cuyahoga River despite their commitment to destroy. In the end, they only hurt themselves.
Chernobyl revealed humans are the ones who will not endure a nuclear disaster. The drought in the Western United States exposes the limitations of human ingenuity. We can build golf courses and housing developments wherever we want, but the earth will set its own boundaries. Living in harmony with creation is about saving humans.
Given human performance over the past 150 years, the psalmist is right in asking; what are humans that you think about them? During this time, leaders have tried to starve their own people. We have engaged in two world wars. Human ingenuity keeps developing new and exciting ways to kill each other. We even place human elimination into games for our children to play.
What, O Lord, are humans that you would pay attention to them? The answer rests in the stars. The fingerprints of meaning were left in the foundational rocks of the earth's surface. God built us a home that endures beyond every effort — natural or human — to destroy it. This home continues to sustain and produce new life.
God sees the truth humans do not always notice. Human life is precious and holy. We do not need to become holy but only accept that we are. God wants us to see what God sees. Creation is a gift that will endure; humans are holy, and life is most beautiful when they live in harmony with each other. So open your eyes today to the life surrounding you and be grateful for it.
Click to read Psalm 8
Reflection Questions:
When have you experienced life enduring beyond forces trying to destroy it?
How can you be a part of creation instead apart from it?
How hard or easy is it to accept that you are holy?
What difference can living in gratitude make?