Midst the Creation

It was a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon and the mountains in which the road twisted had a stark simple beauty all its own.  Masses of icicles hung on dark frigid rocks beside the asphalt trail.  Only the evergreens bore any foliage and everything else stood bare in the blue sky.  Temperature had risen out of the single digits up as far as just past freezing which along with the bright sun created such an illusion of warmth that folks were tempted to get out of warm cars to stand on mountain overlooks to behold the beauty.     

The distant view which filled my sight was indeed majestic and beautiful, but then as I turned to leave, I looked just over the protective wall down the mountain into what looked like a landfill.  So many had stood where I stood and threw cups and paper and other forms of trash over the edge.  And, then as I looked even close I saw a thousand cigarette butts on the walk back to the car.  I could only shake my head at the careless spirit of some who stood at the edge of such glory in God's creation.   

I remember high school debate teams back in the '60's doing verbal battle about forms of pollution.  I remember an annual rural life Sunday in our denomination in which preachers spoke about caring for the  Creation.  And, I remember the opening words of Genesis which ended each act of creation with the Words, "And it was good."  (Genesis 1).  A heart that had soared toward glory at the unfolding beauty of Creation turned to one full of sorrow that so many had failed to remember where they were standing.