I've taken up biking since I've been home. My aunt gave my mom her old road bike, so it seemed like a good excuse to work out and a helpful alternative to bashing up my weak knees running. There's a 10-12 mile ride that takes me from my house to a park I had never known about before called "Twin Rivers Park". It sits on two peninsula's that stick out in the middle of the Arkansas River. It's a gorgeous ride - taking me by farm land, river front homes, and then through this wonderful arboretum. The other day I counted 17 deer that I saw in one ride. Another day I saw 9 deer plus 2 armadillos. It's a blast to go riding - I never know what I'm going to see (I've even see a couple of snakes so far).
The day I saw the 17 deer, I had read Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6 where he says:
Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
What does that mean? How does it apply to our lives? Now, I don't think this is Christ saying, "Hey, lay off working, thinking ahead, and providing for your family." I just don't see that practical side of life being written off by God - plus, this section is focused on worry and anxiety - so the focus is more appropriately on those that stress about providing for their lives to the point where their lives are filled with anxiety, failing to trust God for His provision.
It did get me thinking though, is life as we know it really as it should be? As I watched the deer and geese that day, it seemed as though they truly had the better life. They spend the time they need eating and gathering what they need - but they don't spend all day doing it. Nor do they seem anxious, stressed, or constantly busy. I can't help but wonder if their life is what ours was meant to be.
What if the plan had been that we too would be able to spend small portions of our day working for our own provision, and spend a larger part of our day in the company of others or enjoying the creation of the Creator? What if before
cursed is the ground because of you;
in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you...
by the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
and to dust you shall return
(Gen 3:17-19, ESV)
our lives looked more like the other creatures created by the hand of God? In, a way, wouldn't it make sense? If we are the height of His creation - the one's of which He said it is "very good" - the very best of what He created - wouldn't it make sense that our lives would, like the deer and geese, be spent enjoying this world He created? Could it be that the Fall brought with it such a need to work that we are unable to have the time to truly enjoy the world around us? It would seem that ever since the Fall - whether in agrarian societies or our modern society - man spends 40-80 hours a week simply providing for his sustenance.
Perhaps heaven will restore that and we, like the rest of creation, will be able to truly enjoy walking along a river, going for a bike ride through a park, or spending time with friends - knowing that we don't have to spend every waking moment providing for our own needs.
in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you...
by the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
and to dust you shall return
(Gen 3:17-19, ESV)
our lives looked more like the other creatures created by the hand of God? In, a way, wouldn't it make sense? If we are the height of His creation - the one's of which He said it is "very good" - the very best of what He created - wouldn't it make sense that our lives would, like the deer and geese, be spent enjoying this world He created? Could it be that the Fall brought with it such a need to work that we are unable to have the time to truly enjoy the world around us? It would seem that ever since the Fall - whether in agrarian societies or our modern society - man spends 40-80 hours a week simply providing for his sustenance.
Perhaps heaven will restore that and we, like the rest of creation, will be able to truly enjoy walking along a river, going for a bike ride through a park, or spending time with friends - knowing that we don't have to spend every waking moment providing for our own needs.
(Image Courtesy of RiverTrail.org)
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