God, Nature, & Humanity
There are many who pass through life and never question how life came into existence. Others make their lives a quest to answer that question. Most of us fall somewhere in the middle.
As an LDS missionary I taught hundreds of people about God. At first my view of God was clear and defined. I did not question the nature, actions, or plan of God. I felt I knew who God was and knew what God wanted me to do. I was serving a mission because I thought that God wanted me to serve a mission. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind in the beginning.
Throughout my mission, I experienced many painful blows to my faith as I tried to increase the faith of others. I believed the promise of God which was that I would be an instrument to bring people to believe. I extended myself in faith many times, and most often all I would witness from my actions was failure. There were times were I felt so sure that I was going to accomplish something, that I bet my mission on doing so. I felt that God was directing me; just like I was directed to serve a mission in the beginning. I experienced pain and failure even from those times. Once, I witnessed the sprouting faith of a young woman destroyed in one night after promising her a miracle that didn’t come. If it was so important to God that people know and believe what I believed to be truth, why did these things happen? I began to question my beliefs. I began to question God. My faith was left tattered as a flag after a hurricane.
Toward the end of my turmoltuous mission, I took an opportunity to study in the lawn in front of my apartment. It was a beautiful spring morning. It was amazing how the browns of winter are slowly replaced by the bright greens of spring in Colorado. I watched the tree in the front lawn slowly spring new leaves as the seasons shifted. It was under this tree that I sat with my scriptures and a notebook. Every now and then I glance up at the tree and watched its leaves move to the calm breeze. The sun shown down upon the fresh green leaves, highlighting them all the more. The birds were singing their morning song, and a butterfly danced upon the ridges of the fresh green grass below. At one point during my study, two rabbits came and laid down together next to me. To my left I had a clear view of the Rocky Mountains, with Pikes Peak set majestically in the center like a diamond set into a ring. It was peaceful and so very beautiful. My words fail to even describe the scene.
After the words on the pages of my scriptures became blurred, as often happens when I have read and pondered a great deal, I sat surrounded by all this beauty and wondered on the existence of God. I picked up a leaf on the ground and scrutinized its fine details. The craftsmanship of something we think so little and simply of was, in fact, so very remarkable. The veins and ridges were complex and detailed. I began to think of the purpose of the leaf, the capturing of sunlight and the conversion of its energy to nutrients, and I was even more impressed.
The beauty and detail of nature amazed me. Above aesthetics, these things were designed for for a purpose. The key being that they were designed and did not occur by chance. Something, or someone, with intelligence had to have designed the wonders of nature. That intelligence being or force, to me, is God.
As complex as that single leaf was, I realized that the eyes with which I studied the leaf was far more complex; as were the fingers with which I held it. Perhaps, above all of the complex designs of God is the human mind. Without this amazing creation, I would not have been able to experience the beauty of nature or even consider its design and creation. In the creations of God, humanity is supreme. No other creation has ever achieved what we have achieved. We are God’s ultimate creation.
Because we have been provided with so much for our support, such as air to breathe, food to eat, water to drink, and beauty to partake of; I would even go so far to say that God is mindful of us and our needs. One might also say that God loves us as the ultimate creation.
In truth, beyond this, I cannot say any more about God. I believe there is a God and that God is mindful of us. I can’t tell you what God wants from creation; though I would hope that we would be mindful of each other as God is mindful of us. I can’t tell you what to believe or what church to go to. At one time I felt I could, but I don’t feel that I can anymore. I can however look at the leaves of a tree dancing in the wind and feel gratitude for the magnificent creation of God and, hopefully, help you feel the same.
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