What do you think the lakeshore looked like before “the white man came”? With a little thought it will be evident to you that man is responsible for the loss of much of the original form of the lakeshore. The vast marshes have been filled in and drained.The lush and life giving forests were cleared away so the land was laid waste. Fertilizer and municipal waste water pollute the water. Foreign plants and animals attack and displace the natives on the shore and in the water. Dredging of harbors and the building of piers have changed the patterns of erosion and accretion so that the very shape and structure of the shoreline has changed.
Do my comments all seem negative? I guess so. There was a time that I was so sickened by the changes wrought by man that I could not get past it. It bothered me to find any evidence of man in “pristine” places I had found. I have a few more years under my belt now to give me some perspective. Upon reflection, many of the changes are to be expected as the spread of the population and work of settling a new land occurred. The Bible calls it “subduing the earth”. Sadly, often man rapes the earth in the process, even though it may be done in ignorance. The foolishness of man is revealed in that, for all his “science” and human wisdom he has often made the environment worse instead of better.
I daily live face to face with the struggles my own forefathers went through to settle the land I live on just three generations ago. My greatgrandfather homesteaded the land I farm. He dug the ditch by hand and with horses that drained the swamp below the hill were my house is. He cut down the forest and planted his crops on virgin ground. He did so on his knees in prayer that God would use the sweat of his brow to enable him to raise a covenant family, care for others, worship as he pleased and serve the Lord with his talents. God honored that and blessed him in his generations. I am thankful for it and honor it too.
Am I thankful for what native shoreline has been preserved in its original form? Certainly, if for no other reason than that God’s revelation of Himself in the ecosystem of the lakeshore might be preserved for us to study–to His glory.
Do I think that we as responsible citizens of the kingdom of heaven — and of our earthly government– should educate ourselves to do what is right in the environment? Ablsolutely!
May God give us grace to do what is right with respect to the environment. What are you doing to serve the Lord in this way? We are called to serve Him in that responsibility as well as the many aspects of our spiritual walk.
Psalm 8
Faith’s Reality
The spectacles of faith reality show,
While human eyes confusion know.
When trials come ’tis not His wrath,
But, love brings the trouble on our path.
Death is not the end of life,
But, life begins in the end of strife.
When often trouble pulls us down,
His grace removes the self-centered frown.
When all around seems out of control,
He guides all things for the good of my soul.
Give me glasses to see Your wondrous grace,
Till the day I shall see You face to face.
Deane Wassink, December, 2004