Enjoying God’s Beauty
By Deanna Sivik, Session Elder
“But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?” (Job 12: 7-9)
I remember the first time I visited Hawaii in November 1999. My husband, Scott, and I were on the Big Island for a work conference. The conference was for him, and I was there to play. One afternoon, as I was swinging in a hammock between two palm trees, I told God, “I think Hawaii is a little closer to heaven.” On a tour bus, I learned that the Big Island has eight climate zones. What? On one island? Yes, there is tropical, tundra, desert, and variations of those climate zones. My eyes were opened, and I began to start paying closer attention to the world around me.
As it turned out, six months later Scott was asked if he would be willing to relocate to Hawaii from Nashville to begin a project that the company wanted him to start. Without hesitation, we both said, “Yes!” We packed up our kids, ages 6 and 1 at the time, flew to Honolulu, and settled in Kapolei.
We thought we would be here for only three years. We made sure to visit the Big Island again, along with Maui, Kauai, Molokai, and Lanai. We saw God’s beautiful creation up close and personal visiting all the different islands. Our Molokai visit, back when the Molokai Ranch was open, allowed us to explore nature as well as stay in a tentalo (basically a tent on a deck). Then there was the Waimea Canyon and the Na Pali Coastline on Kauai. There was something very emotional for me to see that coastline from the water as spinner dolphins swam alongside the boat. I was taken aback by God’s exquisite beauty. As for God’s timing, we were here for thirteen years, moved to St. Louis for a few, and then returned to Hawaii in 2018.
Now that we’re back and empty-nester’s this time, we have had more opportunities to be more helpful to our environment. Scott and I got involved with the North Shore Community Land Trust, and started helping remove the invasive plants to allow growth of the native species. It’s a great feeling to get a big pair of clippers and have at it! Another opportunity we participated in was clearing out a big section of the land for the albatross birds to come back to the North Shore to start new families.
My point to all this is that while God gave us this planet to enjoy and wander about, we can also do our part to maintain its vitality and resourcefulness. It’s wise stewardship that honors our Creator. Responsibility to our earth, grants it the power for rebirth.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for this world and everything that are within it. May we obey Your will by taking care of this beautiful planet and tend to it with a loving and generous heart. In Your gracious Name we pray, Amen.
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