Why Adam went to Work and other Musings

 

I remember my mom telling me when she was out of sorts she would clean her house; in fact she particularly enjoyed scrubbing her kitchen floor when life got a bit testy. Working and focusing on improving a small area of her life gave her back some control and she said when she was done, she had a clean house and always felt better about the problem that was bothering her in the first place.

 I was thinking of that the other day when I was feeling a bit overwhelmed.  Being outside in the rain or shine is what puts a smile on my heart, so I took my grumbling “self” outside and started weeding. Good thing too, because those awful shot-weeds had gone to seed in several places and it became show-down in the old garden beds, with seeds shooting wildly in all directions with every tug of that prolific plant.  Later, when the weeds were under control, I found I was more relaxed, focused, and able to listen to God's comfort.

In Genesis 2:15 it says, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it”. It would appear God knew that work was needed, and I don’t mean for the benefit of the garden. God knew that Adam needed a job. He gave Adam the job of naming animals and tending the Garden of Eden.  God certainly could have developed a self-tending garden that needed no interference from man, after all there weren't even weeds at that point; but He didn’t do that. It would appear he knew that too much time on Adam’s hands was not a good thing.  He knew that Adam needed a purpose, a focus, an agenda to wake up to each day.  

 

Perhaps God also wanted Adam to be committed to this earth. When we have skin in the game; when we have our time, resources, or gifts invested in a project, the more likely we are to do the best job we can. We care about what happens.

We are also more likely to achieve satisfaction from something we are actively a part of. We will return to it because we like the good feeling we get when the job is done correctly.  I’ve heard employers complain that employees who work very part time, often don’t do as good of job, they just don’t understand the rhythm of the workplace and don’t seem to have the commitment to how important their job is to the company.  It would seem God knew that the more Adam worked the land, the more Adam would see what could be done, and needed to be done, for the bigger picture of civilization; and he would work more proficiently because of that fact.  Adam needed to know it wasn't all about him.

The fact that Adam was given a job that was directly given to him by God, must have been very empowering. I mean really, when the creator of the universe puts you to work, that’s the best resume and personal reference anyone could want.  God respected Adam’s abilities enough to allow him to care for his newest creations. Adam’s obedient response to his job, was both a blessing to God and to Adam.

And finally, how amazing it feels to be working, touching and communing with God’s creations. Talk about job satisfaction! Farming, fishing, and forestry are all vocations that have long held tremendous satisfaction for its workers.  It just feels good to work hard in, “The living visible garment of God” (Johann W. Goethe). To feel God’s creation in your hands just seems to bring such a deep connection to God. For me it is impossible to not talk to God and see God every time I’m working in my garden.

 

So why am I, a long-time unemployed educator, musing about work? Well, I’ve been hearing whispers in my heart. The last few years I have focused on my husband, grandchildren, and various volunteer positions. But this year I volunteer in an elementary school with the highest level of low-income students in the district. I have worked in the classrooms assisting teachers and students, as well as mentoring students with tough home lives.  I’ve seen hungry children line up for food to take home on Friday’s so they will have something to eat over the weekend. I’ve had my heart broken as a child I have grown to love, but have been so worried for, was taken from his parents and sent to his grandparents across the United States. God is whispering to my heart, “Do more, I have prepared you to love and teach these children, so jump in and do it every day.” My shaky little inner voice is saying, "But, what person would employ someone who has been out of the workforce for nine years?" "Oh yeah," I then remember, "My employer is the creator of the universe, I've got a good reference".

 

 

 

Northwest Coastal Water Birds and Me.



Great Blue Heron

It is interesting how we’re knit together.  As a little girl, I roamed the forest behind our home as if it were a sanctuary. My heart burst with the beauty around me well before I knew quite where to place my thanks.  I’m a grandma now, with my hair greying around my face, and I still feel my heart bursting with joy and thankfulness as I prowl around the forest, marshes, and shores around my home.  Last week, I picked my way down a steep embankment, sliding down through the mud and brambles just to get a better look at some ducks. Later that night, I took my hair down, only to discover long lengths of blackberry vines and tufts of lichen in my hair. One time, a couple of years ago, I found a frog in my hair while I was taking a shower. I’m still me. Still in constant awe of the magnificence around me, still that little girl who looks at nature with reverence and privilege, but now I know where to place my thanks.

For Christmas, I got my wish of a new camera with a great zoom lens feature. It’s super simple to use, which it needs to be for my remedial level of technical ability, and I love it!  I dug my husband’s old tripod out of the back of the closet, and my next venture is to try some zoom shots without the constant movement in my hands and arms.



Mallard

My main photography subjects of late have been water birds. I haven’t known the names of many ducks, and that has been bothering me.  I love observing them, and particularly enjoy watching them fly with their necks stretched out long, their eyes focused determinedly straight ahead, and their wings flapping so hard it looks like a lot of work just to keep airborne. 

I live very near Nisqually Wildlife Refuge, and it, along with other watery locations nearby, have become my favorite haunts. For years, I’ve collected bird identification books and field guides. Now, I’m finally trying to use them. I even bought a vest that has lots of pockets so I can load them up with my guides- and assorted supplies. Both binoculars and my camera hang around my neck- and I wear subdued colors so as not to disturb and interrupt any potential sighting. I am a woman on a mission.

Canadian Geese at Nisqually

When I first started going to the refuge, I felt a bit embarrassed by my little camera with only one lens. So many photographers were toting enormous cameras that looked like bazookas on their shoulders, and others carried their impressive cameras with so many dials and buttons, along with garlands of lenses around their necks. Then one day, a guide stopped me to ask what kind of camera I had. After I had searched the camera and its lens for all the requested information, he replied wistfully, “Oh, lucky you, I have long wanted one of those.” Two other people stopped me that day about my camera, and now I walk comfortably knowing that, although simple, my little Nikon camera can hold its head up as one that can get the job done.



On the top we have two male Ring-Necked Ducks chatting up a female one. The bottom pictures seem to be female Common Goldeneyes 

I'm featuring a few of my photos I've taken over the last three weeks in this blog.  Some are a bit blurry because I can’t seem to hold still. However, I can now identify: Ring-Necked ducks, American Widgeon, Mallard, Bufflehead, Greater and Lesser Scaups, Common and Hooded Mergansers, as wells as both Barrow’s, and Common Goldeneye ducks (while peeking at my guides for reassurance).  While photographing the Nisqually River, I spotted both Double-Crested; and Brandt’s Cormorants; and the beautiful Great Blue Heron. Huge flocks of Canadian Geese winter here, so those are also a common sight.  As a novice, I would appreciate any help if I've mislabeled any of these birds in my pictures...but I think I've got them correct.

Double-Crested Cormorants

Mr. and Mrs. Hooded Merganser in the top picture, (he has his top down). Bottom left, is a Greater Scaup, and the bird on the right is an American Widgeon.

 

Our creator, the greatest ornithologist of all, says in Psalm 50:11, “I know every bird in the mountains, and all the creatures in the fields are mine…” What a privilege it is to learn more about the many creations of our God. As I explore the attributes of the birds, I also explore what an amazing God we serve. His attention to every detail of a bird’s body, shape, coloration, and adaptation are astonishing to me. And yet, God made a covenant with Noah and told him that he gave these birds and animals on earth to be in our care; and to be food for us. He entrusted his gorgeous and perfect creations to humans. How great is his love for us ; how much faith he has in our stewardship. I pray we can all understand what a gift we have been given.

Mr. and Mrs. Barrow's Goldeneye

 

Mr. and Mrs. Bufflehead
 

Great Blue Heron

 

The Long Winters

I know a man who has been in a long-suffering trial for over a decade.  Although not a perfect man, he is a man who has loved and served our Lord since he was born. He openly demonstrates love for his family with tenderness and compassion, and fiercely tries to protect them from harm. He reaches out selflessly to the poor and needy, he works hard, and is rising successfully at his work in high esteem with those who work beside him.  And yet, he is in a bone-wearying, heart-gripping, ugly trial that seems to go from bad to worse. He is now crying out to our God, as David did in the Bible, “Where is your justice Lord? Please make your justice reign in this lifetime!  ‘Tear out, O Lord, the fangs of the Lions’! “

As the buds and blossoms begin to swell on the bushes and trees around us, as the creamy pink-tinged blossom of the hellebores begin to show themselves once more, God shows his majesty and ability to triumph through the cold, and create loveliness through-out the hard long winters of our lives. He is there.  He is constant.  And yet, and yet... sadly, winters can continue to be brutally on-going for some, even while beauty blooms along the way.

 

 

King David says in Psalm 62:11-12, “One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard: that you O God, are strong, and that you O Lord are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done.” King David cried out to our God in agony for Him to smite his enemies, but he continued to believe, to his very core, that God is strong, God is loving, and God is righteous.

For those of you who find themselves in a trial that takes you to your knees and keeps you there until you feel you cannot stand up again,  we serve a God who has been there. He has taken the willful, ugly sins of others onto himself, and as my friend Lois says, “Is offering a nail-pierced hand to you", to lift you up. There will be joy and new beginnings, there will be a lightness in your day once more, and yes, there is justice, even in this fallen world.

 

What a Difference a Day Makes

 

Christmas is over, the amaryllis bloomed on Christmas morning, and I’m still savoring the memories of my husband’s amazing smoked brisket with ten members of our family around the Christmas Eve dinner table.  This year was especially wonderful because our daughter Kirsten, son-in-law Kent, and our grandchildren, Greta (6) and Oliver (2), stayed overnight, which meant on Christmas morning we rewarded by two excited children peeking into their Christmas stockings and ripping open their presents with unrestrained glee, followed by their parents opening loving heartfelt gifts to each other.  Watching their Christmas morning unfold in our living room was so powerful and sacred to me, I found myself with tears streaming down my face at one point, because I felt in that moment, completely and overwhelming filled with unblemished peace.  Our wooden floor was soon entirely covered with toys, scraps of wrapping paper, torn boxes, and assorted ribbons all in utterly perfect chaos.  Later, we ate a satisfying breakfast feast of huevos rancheros, a much needed protein addition from all the Christmas cookies and candies.  God is good, and I feel loved up.

 

 Now it is a new year, and a usual I ponder why it feels so good to polish off one year and start another. Why does the first of January pack such a hope-filled punch when the night before was just another night? What a difference a day makes, but why? Certainly marketers know this is true - in January you will see the assorted plastic bin events begin as we apparently all jointly decide to organize our stuff and get rid of items we no longer need.  Diets begin afresh, and vendors for diet programs and gym membership draw us into their folds once more.

It would seem we all need, or at least crave the need, to draw a line in the sand and separate ourselves from our mistakes, sad events, or just our big ball of life, and break it down into a more manageable length of time: 12 months.  “That was last year”, we can tell ourselves. “This year will be different. This year I will be more mindful of the beauty in each day, be more disciplined, and be more thankful for my family and friends. This year my loved one won’t be sick or die. This year…this year will be better.”

As I look out into what 2015 will hold, I know of some simmering sadnesses that will be played out in some way, but I also know there will be warm, deep hugs from loved ones, jokes and smiles, and indescribable beauty, and as Psalms 33:5 says, “The Lord loves righteousness and justice, (and) the earth is full of his unfailing love.”

 

 

 

Hope

Christmas is upon us, and every piece of decoration and light we own is hanging on trees inside and out, or festooned around surfaces that were previously bare. Nativity scenes and snow covered villages speckle our home ready for little hands to play, and our Christmas tree has gifts nestled under its boughs with large name tags for young readers to identify their names so shaking and guessing contents can ensue.  I unfortunately had to decorate our tree twice this year as yet another tree falling incident occurred, breaking so many precious memories. And to be quite honest, and this might surprise people who know me, the tediousness of tree decorating has never been high on my list. Love the look, just don’t like the process.

It seems year after year our family’s Christmas’s have been a bit harder because a loved one has been very sick or has passed away.  This year is no exception as we are mourn the passing of my sister and her father just a few short months ago. Also, a dear couple I love are having serious marriage problems and their young children’s futures would seem to hold a much changed and saddened course.  Even my own church is bleeding with needs, the list goes on and my heart, and so many others, are torn in grief.

Enter hope. “The Message” Study Bible says in 1 Peter 1:3-5, “What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead we’ve been given a brand new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all, life healed and whole.”

“Life healed and whole”, sounds pretty wonderful to me! Because we were given hope in the form of a small child, Jesus, whose birth we celebrate this Christmas season, our entire world is offered the hope of new life, and peace beyond anything we could fathom. Now that is something to celebrate!