The Natural Path

Much is made of returning to nature. Often when people find themselves facing the most difficult times in their lives, and when communities and countries find themselves in tough battles of economy, social ills or war itself, people will turn to the things of nature. This more simple way of life is an attempt to connect to that which is foundational and elemental in life. When we speak of the God of Jesus Christ we talk about a God who is self-revealing. God is revealed in a general sense through nature and in more specific ways through the Hebrew scriptures, the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Gospels, and the records of the early church (the remaining books of the New Testament.)

When I was on my walk (see the previous posts) I found that the path made by men had run out. Much like those who find themselves frustrated by the limits of humanity I found I had the choice of turning back and re-engaging the disappointing trail I had left behind me, or moving forward following a game trail... the natural path. Animals, primarily mammals, will follow the same path over and over until a trail is worn. A game trail is that worn path. Generally speaking, sticking to a game trail will bring you to one of three life giving possibilities. The first is a glade, or opening in the woods. These openings are where animals find a place to graze, to feed on the grasses that bring them the nutrients they need.

But glades are not always safe. The places in nature that provide the most sustenance also provide the most danger. This is where predators lurk. In our spiritual lives it is at the very place where we are closest to the One who created nature that we are also very near the predator that would seek to drag us off into its own lair and devour our very lives. Consider the things we enjoy in life and how each has an opposite that would kill. Food or gluttony. Water or drowning. Money or greed. Sex or pornography. Language for communication or for condemnation. All of these have a use and the potential for great good; they are gifts from God. They can also become our weakness as the predator uses them to destroy us.

Nature has both safety and danger. The next place that a game trail might leave is to a source of water and the third a den (or the animal itself.) Water can give life. Jesus calls the life he gives "a spring welling up to new life." That kind of water is life-giving. But when I arrived at the creek on my walk I found it to be swollen from recent rain. One slip into it, and I could become overwhelmed by water that is not life-giving. To seek more than my share, more than the "daily bread" (if you'll allow the mixed metaphor) that God provides, is to allow the predator to drag me under.

Finally, as I was walking the game trail, I came upon two snakes. One a garter and one a black rat. Neither dangerous to humans (though a black rat snake bite carries some nasty infectious stuff so you don't want to kiss one.) Where one type of snake dwells, the venomous ones might dwell as well. I've run across timber rattlesnakes, copperheads and water moccasins in Missouri. While none of these is predatory toward humans (though the moccasin has a reputation for un-provoked attacks) each of them could, in the right circumstances mean death.

Returning to nature in and of itself is dangerous business. In nature the law of the survival of the fittest reigns, life cycles dictate and food chains are followed without question. These are not the ways of humanity, or at least a humanity that follows the laws that God has given us. Instead we have the commands to love our neighbors and our enemies. We are called upon to care for the weak and to champion the underdog. Natural ways are not God's way for humanity. Nature however, is a deeply spiritual way to reconnect to the One who created both humanity and nature.