And it’s easy on the beautiful days, when the sun is shining and the pollinators are zooming between gorgeous blooms. Yet it can do us good to recall that not all aspects of nature are those picture-perfect moments; be it the dirt (in which the decomposed plant matter nourishes today’s flowers) or the unpleasant mosquitos that play a role in the ecosystem… there’s any number of examples of the enjoyable aspects of nature, and the less-than-desirable parts as well.
Yet in the mess, there’s grace. In the dirt, or river-side muck, or slippery eels, or pervasive weeds - whatever is distasteful to us is still a part of God’s creation. And thus: we are given the chance to see the grace, the goodness, the divine.
It can be difficult, as we are not going to like everything in nature. We are going to find certain aspects of the created order unpleasant and prefer to avoid them. We as humanity have tried to subdue nature, to overpower it, to deny its fullness; and in doing so have distanced ourselves from the creation (and from the Creator).
So we are reminded that we are still called to love all of creation: to find ways to interconnect, to collaborate, to share in this expression of divine love. For every organism here has as much value as we do; we are all striving to find out place and space, in ways that allow us to flourish without encroaching on others. God didn’t create mistakes.
The trouble comes when we situate ourselves as better than others, as above the mess; instead of acknowledging that we too can be messy. It’s a humble stance to learn, to shed the ubiquitous sense that we are the top of all beings; yet this season invites us to do just that.
So in this season of creation, as our churches remind us of the need to focus on the beauty of creation and a role within it, let’s not forget the messes. For God’s blessings are there too.
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