028 | Transcending Your Environment
August 24, 2020
Minute of Transparency: What has COVID done to your personality?
Today’s Topic: Transcending Your Environment
In this episode:
From the dirt
Different strokes for different folks
But is there a spiritual connection?
Get out there
Why does this even matter?
// 1. FROM THE DIRT
Let’s just dive right in. No intro. No setup. Here we go:
"And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” Genesis 2:7
Are you kidding me? We came from dirt?
Is it just me? Or when you hear that doesn’t it sound strange? Why would the God of the universe create something important and valuable out of dirt?
We create pottery from dirt (clay actually…but you get the idea). So is that all we are to Him? Just a tool made from dirt to be used in some way?
I guess we can start by looking at the formula described in Genesis.
It looks like:
DIRT + BREATH OF LIFE = LIVING BEING
So when I look at it this way I start to see the difference:
A clay pot is formed out of dirt, and is then baked with high heat in order to become a usable cooking vessel
We are formed out of dirt, but then the magic happens. We actually get God’s breath breathed into us in order for us to become living beings
Now I know many Christians are anti-magic. TV shows like The Wizards of Waverly Place, and books and movies like the Harry Potter series aren’t on their list of things to consume…
But in this case I really don’t see the issue with calling it magic.
Dictionary.com defines magic as: "the power of apparently influencing the course of events by using mysterious or supernatural forces.”
Hello! Isn’t that exactly what just happened? God is obviously mysterious and supernatural in His ability to turn dirt into a living beings just by breathing into them…
To me, the idea that we came from dirt suggests one of two things:
First, we can go, “Ewww” I can’t believe we came from dirt - and do everything in our power to distance ourselves from it
Or, we can think bigger - and understand that by coming from dirt - we actually have a direct connection to the Earth
And this is how I’m choosing to view it:
I believe there is a mysterious and supernatural thing that happened when God created us
Because He used dirt - there is a direct connection between humans and the Earth
Our bodies are made out of elements that came from the Earth
When we die we return to it (dirt/dust)
Kind of a Circle of Life thing right?
And I think that’s the point:
Everything comes from the same place
Everything is made up of the same elements - everything from dirt, to plants, to leaves, to trees, to insects, to animals, to birds, to fish to human beings
And we’re all headed in the same direction when we die - back to the dirt we came from
I don’t believe this connection is by accident…
“This whole circle of life thing was designed by God. On purpose. God doesn’t do accidents…”
// 2. DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS
Now when I say there is a direct connection between us and dirt, or the Earth, or nature in general - I’m bound to get some polarized responses.
There will be people in the “Ewww, I can’t believe we came from dirt” camp who would like me to stop talking…
Then there will be the environmentalists, and the extreme outdoorsy types who are like, “Exactly! I’ve been saying that for years!”
And there will be every possible combination in-between.
Why? Because different strokes for different folks. We’re all wired differently and like different things.
And nature is one of those things. There are people who love it, and those who want nothing to do with it.
// 3. IS THERE A SPIRITUAL CONNECTION?
Obviously, we just said that there are different strokes for different folks. And that’s true - so I don’t want to make this whole nature vs. no nature thing a spiritual maturity thing…
But what if there was something spiritual going on behind the scenes?
We all have our likes and dislikes, but behind the scenes there is a spiritual battle going on - a controversy between God and Satan for each and every one of us. Sound familiar?
And while I haven’t fully fleshed out this concept - here are some things I’ve noticed about our culture and the natural world:
Over time we moved farther and farther away from nature
We build cities, skyscrapers and homes that push nature away
We do everything in our power to keep dirt away from us
We vacuum, dust and clean in order to remain free from dirt
The minute we get some dirt on our car we go get it washed
Clothes can’t have a spot of dirt on them or we throw them in the wash, or throw them away if it doesn’t come out
Roads are paved to cover up the dirt
In California, construction sites are required to be hosed down prior to working on them so dust won’t go into the air
Then there is the fact that the natural environment is almost seen as our garbage can these days:
Littering is still a thing
Pollution is a big problem
There are floating islands of trash in the ocean
And the list goes on and on
So what’s going on here? What is this fascination with cleanliness - and getting as far away from nature as possible?
Honestly, I don’t know. And like I sad before, I don’t want to spiritualize it person to person.
But maybe there is a spiritual element to it? Maybe Satan is pushing us away from nature for a sinister reason that we just can’t see.
“What if the farther away we are from nature - the farther away we are from our Creator?”
Deep. I know…
Pretty spiritual - but let’s break this idea down…
What if God created us to be part of the Earthly ecosystem - an integral part that is intertwined at the atomic level? To get really geeky for a minute - let’s talk Star Wars movies… What if it’s like the midichlorian levels found in the Jedi? This mysterious chemical associated with the Force that makes them who they are, keeps them all connected and allows them to use the powers of the Force.
What if it’s like that? A spiritual connection between us, the Earth and other living things - at the atomic level?
If this is true - should we be doing everything in our power to get away from it?
I would suggest no - we should be doing the exact opposite.
// 4. GET OUT THERE
Now don’t worry - I’m not going to say, “If you don’t start loving nature, you’re not a good person.”
Again - not going to spiritualize this on a person to person basis…
What I am going to do is ask you to take a step in that direction. This will mean different things to different people:
For some - this simply means opening your mind up to the fact that God is the Creator
For others - this means starting to see how we are all connected in the natural world
For some - it means buying a plant and trying to keep it alive
For others - it means getting out of the house and going on a walk every now and then
For some - it means getting away from it all and spending a weekend in a National Park
For others - it might mean moving out of the city and getting back to a more simple lifestyle
And for some - it might mean joining the environmentalist movement to speak up for the environment before we completely destroy it
In other words - I’m encouraging you to get out there - in whatever way fits you and where you’re at.
But don’t just stay where you are. And for sure don’t keep moving away from all things nature.
On some level it’s calling you - because your Creator is calling you.
// 5. WHY DOES THIS EVEN MATTER?
Simply put…
If God created nature, and God created us - we’re connected somehow. And there is something about nature that should resonate with us. We should feel something when we’re in it. We should see something behind the scenes when we experience it. Call it the midichlorians if that helps…
Getting out into the natural world is powerful. Here are just a few of the benefits:
It provides a direct connection to the Creator:
What if its true that Satan wants to hide nature from us, get us to run from it, and even destroy it?
If this is true - it makes it even more important for us to do the opposite
To get out and see what Satan is trying to hide
There is a direct connection to our Creator - just by being around the things He created
A visual display of His power and majesty:
The massive Sequoia trees
The Grand Canyon
Old Faithful
The crashing ocean waves
The number of stars in the sky on a dark, clear night
Sunrises
Sunsets
Cloud formations
Fields of flowers
Snow capped peaks
Waterfalls
Babbling books
Whales
Flamingos
Monarch Butterflies
Puppies
And the list could stretch on forever
Think of all the things out there that we take for granted in the natural world
Our Creator put them there for us! Because He loves us and knew we would thrive in a setting like that
Silence & Solitude:
Stress is a thing my friend...
It’s real - and most of us experience it on some level all the time
Some of it is part of life - but most of it is self-imposed
The farther and farther we get away from nature - the more and more we add to our lives. All hidden under the guise of being successful, productive, innovative, safe, secure and technologically advanced
We’ve created stress where there doesn’t need to be stress
Getting out into nature removes that stress immediately
Just being silent for a while in the presence of the mountains, trees, or along the ocean or by a lake does more than any anti-anxiety mediation out there
But it takes effort:
You have to choose to get out there
You have to choose to leave technology behind for a while
For some it means planning a trip - driving 20-30 minutes to really get away
But I guarantee you won’t be disappointed
Let’s Land the Plane: This week I would ask you to focus on the following things:
Have you really thought about the fact that we came from the dirt of the Earth?
If not, take a few minutes to think about that - and how connected we are to the physical world around us
Can you see and feel the spiritual connection when you are in nature? The majesty of our Creator?
Do you need to get out there this week - and allow nature to reconnect you with Him?
If so, what is your next step in this?
Thanks for being with us this week - I’m so excited to be back on random Transcend Human topics like this. It gives me so much leeway in choosing topics and finding things I think you might resonate with.
I hope you found it useful - and that you’re able to take your next step toward the Creator through the natural world.
Until next time, stay safe, get out there, and keep Transcending Human!