"And the earth brought forth grass, and herb, yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind, and God saw that it was good." ... Genesis 1:12
"And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good." ... Genesis 1:12
"I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ saved me for, and wants me to be." ... Philippians 3:12
"Let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven."
... Lutheran Book of Worship: Service of Holy Baptism, page 164
On the anniversaries of our children's baptisms, I occasionally Xerox the Service of Holy Baptism, a part of our liturgy very dear to my heart, and send it to them, as reminders of the marvelous good work Christ has begun in them, and will see to completion. I then control my urge to ply them with inquiries as to whether they truly read through the service, what their thoughts are, how their spiritual life is progressing, etc. Having failed to leave the "whole" matter to God, I do manage to leave that much alone. But, a mother's heart has many chambers, filled to overflowing with desires, prayers, and memories. Occasionally God, in his infinite goodness, sees fit to reveal, in full array, the answer to a prayer, the fulfillment of my heart's desire for our children.
God gifted me with such an occasion recently, I flew to the University of Minnesota, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, where I was privileged to witness the oral portion of my son, Rob's defense of his dissertation. This was the culminating event of many years of his research on the feeding habits of the Asian Sun Bear compared to, and contrasted with, that of the Asian Black Bear, in four different Asian forest habitats. I sat breathless and speechless during Rob"s presentation ... totally in awe of him, and the fact that such a remarkably detailed, complex, and fascinating body of knowledge was conveyed in such a competent, yet humble, entertaining, and passionate manner. The question and answer portion revealed greater depth and breadth of Rob's knowledge of both his own field of study, as well as related fields of botany and biology. When the defense was concluded, the response by colleagues and professors from the conservation biology department was tantamount to a standing ovation. (I was refrained from shouting,"That's my son!" and instead, muttered, "Thank you, God! Thank you, God! To you be the glory"!)
It is clear to this mother's heart that God has worked through our son's gifts of intellect, observation, organization, focus, and persistence, and used his passion and love for the natural world, to accomplish this good work for the world's sake, and to accomplish His good work in Rob. For a few hours, Rob's light shone before others. Such a sense of spirituality and God's presence filled that room, that I felt assured that the other scientists there, with their shared love of our Father's created world, must, in their own way give God the glory as they work to further human understanding of the interrelationship and interdependence among plant, animal, and human life. No need for inquiry. A mother's heart is satisfied for the time being. Thanks be to God!
Dear Father of all creation, thank you for blessing me with children who help me see your beautiful and intricate creation through more reverent eyes. Help me detach from my material existence long enough to appreciate the miraculous workings of the things of nature, that direct my gaze toward you, the Creator. Give me the humility and understanding to acknowledge my indebtedness to all living things, and to assume responsibility to defend all forms of life on this fragile planet. Keep us working toward becoming what you want us to be ... for ourselves, each other, our planet, and for you. I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen
Contributed by Donna S.
Published Sunday June 27, 2004
Week 31 of Liturgical Year C