Editor’s Note: Global warming means rising sea levels, worsening extreme weather events, and a threat to God’s creation and people. The world has not experienced normal global temperatures since 1985. So while some might call them millennials, anyone under the age of 30 is part of the “Climate Generation.” If you’re under 30, congrats! You’ve inherited a big problem. Bill Lewis has a letter to share, written to his two year old grandson, and to all those who will inherit a changed planet.
Dear Future Generations,
Today, a day that encompasses all that has gone before and precedes all that will come, I write as one whose heart breaks open with joy at an expanse of prairie or Southern Pine flatwoods stretching to the horizon. I write as one who thinks of your life, my little 2-year-old grandson, and what opportunities you might have to know the natural world. I write as one who thinks of this beautiful world that encompasses so much diversity in the creatures, plants, soils, and relationships. At first I was going to tell you what I think you should know. But now it seems that I have more questions than answers. Perhaps as you live into these questions and others that you will ask, you’ll grow in wisdom and stature and awe of God. Will there be any natural areas left? Will you have the opportunity to experience what was once the largest and most biologically diverse forest type in North America – Longleaf Pine? Will you be able to travel on foot away from concrete, autos, electricity? Will you be able to be in places where nature has the power and sculpts the landscape, rather than people?
Scripture says that through creation of the world, God’s eternal power and divine nature are seen by all. The Psalms are especially full of references to people recognizing the majesty, creativity, and power of God as revealed in creation. Will your life be so wrapped up in human-made places and human-made forces molding God’s creation to the extent that you won’t be able to recognize your finiteness compared to the infinite God who created it all? Will the human-made influences so change our planet that the creator’s imprints are obscured? Will you be able to share your knowledge of God to your friends by pointing out the cleansing, renewing impact of wildfire and natural, seasonal flooding? During your lifetime will our seasons become so distorted by human-made factors that the ebb and flow of spring, summer, fall, and winter will be blurred? Will you be trapped in a world brutalized and distorted by human-made toxins, due to humans trying to selfishly control and manipulate nature? When Scripture speaks of rivers of living water, will the earth’s waters be so polluted and toxic that you have no living images of fresh clear springs and streams?
Although toward different ends, each person is continually being formed spiritually. What will be the factors that influence your spiritual growth? Will your growth be toward God or towards human-made goals? Will there be opportunities for you to experience solitude and absence of human-made noises in wild places? Will there be places you can escape the constant inputs and pressures of modern society? Will you be able to take time to live with natural rhythms? Will there be places free from light pollution where you can be awestruck at the night sky?
As you come to know God and are being formed in the image of Jesus, will you have opportunities to serve out of that overflow? What ways will you be able to serve God’s creation which doesn’t have a voice in our politics, economics, and social designs? Will there be a chance to speak out to protect the natural world simply because God created it and declared it good? Will there be places that haven’t been destroyed by greed or short-term economic expediency that need you to work for their protection? How will you learn to love what God created?
Our wild, natural lands proclaim God, encourage growth toward God and give opportunities to serve some of God’s creation that doesn’t have a voice. I throw all these questions at you, hoping you’ll do a better job than I did protecting creation. Unfortunately part of my focus was on results (perhaps influenced by a cultural bias) rather than finding hope in the strength to do each day what I can in both small and large ways. Quoting Wendell Berry “We don’t have a right to ask whether we’re going to succeed or not. The only question we have a right to ask is what’s the right thing to do?”
Bill Lewis lives in the Myakka River Basin. In addition to a career in accounting, he is an avid hiker, practices spiritual direction, and teaches about local natural habitats to cultivate a sense of place and a deeper sense of God who created.
Image: elenabsl / Shutterstock.com
Got something to say about what you're reading? We value your feedback!