THE BEAUTY OF THE EARTH

 

The Color of Butterfly Wings by LDS Bookstore

His gift, the beauty of the earth,

To soften the blow of turbulence

So relentlessly near;

With every movement of the trees

And the rustle of its leaves,

He whispers:

“I am here”

 

-       CATHRYNE ALLEN

THE NEEDED MOTHER

 

According to scripture, our Mother Earth has had a very special and mandatory role in our progression. We usually think of the physical birth she gave humanity (Moses 2:7) but this is not her only role. She was foreordained and consecrated to establish on its face a family system patterned after the order of heaven and to become the future celestial abode of exalted sons and daughters of God (D&C 88:18-20).

If we study the process of creation in the Pearl of Great Price, we come away with the understanding that all the elements involved in the Creation are living organisms, including the planet we live on. What convinces me of this fact is Enoch’s encounter with Mother Earth and what impact it had on him.

The grief that took over him made him weep when he heard her call us her children and witnessed her mourn over our wickedness (Moses 7:48). So overcome was Enoch with her suffering that he asked God three times, ‘’when shall the earth rest”? (v 49,54,58). When we consider how she groaned when the Son of Man was lifted up and all nature suffered at the death of its Creator, we can conclude that her soul is as deep as the river (Moses 7:56; 1 Nephi 19: 12).

I know next to nothing about physics but I am fascinated with gravity. Without gravity we would be flying off the surface of this planet and into the unknown but gravity, like a spiritual umbilical cord keeps us grounded to Mother Earth so that we cannot be lost. The reason why she wept though over the wickedness of her children has to do with her foreordination to establish a family system of eternity. If this fails, the earth could be smitten with a curse and utterly wasted at the Saviour’s coming (D&C 2:2-3; Malachi 4:5).

Enter Elijah who came to restore the sealing priesthood power to bind us together so that the earth could answer the end of its creation (see Matthew 17:3; D&C 110:13-16; 128:8-18). Without that power all men and women would be forever without root and branch, meaning without ancestry and posterity that would otherwise extend into eternity.

Imagine this big beautiful perfect planet with a soul as tender and real as you and me, utterly wasted at Christ’s coming.  It is not our carbon foot print that would destroy our Mother Earth but our wickedness that can destroy her purpose of creation.

Imagine the waste of Creation, imagine the struggle of Father Adam and Mother Eve as they paved the way for humanity by ‘the sweat of their brow’ (Moses 5:1).  Now imagine the waste of Calvary. Yes, Elijah had to come to restore the priesthood power which could bind the root to branches but without our faithfulness the binding is null and void.

Right now we live in a world that promotes the ‘me and my truth’ mentality. Satan strives to divert us from a greater picture. We are a link in the chain of something marvelous and eternal. Each one contributes to the success of that picture. I know many of us love nature and the beauty of this earth. May we include in our daily gratitude this ‘needed mother’, this extraordinary planet that seeks to lift us to higher ground than the one we are currently standing on.

His gift, the beauty of the earth,

To soften the blow of turbulence

So relentlessly near;

With every movement of the trees

And the rustle of its leaves,

He whispers:

“I am here”

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Made New by Chris Brazelton)

THE MIGHTY CREATOR

I live in Australia and there is a kangaroo living somewhere in my bushy community. I see him skipping across my backyard every once in a while. I love this kangaroo because he has endeared me to the land I live in. You cannot get more Aussie than a kangaroo in your backyard.

I am in awe of Christ’s creative power when I look at animals and the land around me and I am in awe of the magnitude of His work. Elder Bruce R. McConkie said ‘there is no finite way to envision the extent of the worlds created by Christ at the behest of the Father’ and that ‘this small planet was but one speck of dust in a storm swirling over the Sahara’ (The Promised Messiah, p 55; see Moses 1:29-35).

You would think that amidst such quantity, creation would become perfunctory and practicality would be the primary concern of the Creator but nothing could be further from the truth. Our God has taken every thought and care to ensure the success of our mortality. I am certain that His creative power did not extend to function only, that it involved creative intelligence with intent to gladden the eye and bring joy to one’s heart.  I rather fancy that He knew that a kangaroo skipping across my backyard would bring a smile to my face.

I am certain that each particle of this earth was created with love and utmost care and God called it ‘good’ (Genesis 1:31)…… each particle that would become Australia, America, Africa, Bethlehem, Nazareth and CALVARY……

ODE TO THE MIGHTY CREATOR:

Did You ever feel the weight

Of Your calling as You spoke the Word

For the heavens and earth to be?

 

From the valleys, the hills, the oceans,

And grand mountains that be,

You left Your mark of power for all to see.

 

Were You heavy hearted

When You created the hill of Calvary?

But did You hear it whisper Your victory

When You were in Your agony:

The Mighty God, the Author of Creation,

The fountain of all salvation…..

 - CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Paradise Serenade by Greg Collins)