Today, there are plenty of reasons
to be anxious and pout about our circumstances, or point fingers at Washington or
our parents or spouses or pastors rather than take individual responsibility. But we often face a second challenge –
stewarding the Earth at a time when we seem to have limitless power and ability
to alter creation from the ocean depths to the atmosphere above. We use technology’s tools to mine the
treasures of God’s creation in search of a satisfaction that material pursuits
alone cannot deliver. Instead, God is
calling His stewards to “mine” His creation and His special revelation in the
Scriptures with a disposition of reverent
discernment that we might learn and exercise our individual responsibility toward Him, toward our neighbor, and toward
His creation.
Won’t you join me in an exercise of “mining” creation-- thoughtfully
considering it as Christ, the Creator, commanded? Respectful
contemplation of creation is warranted because creation belongs to God and is
meant to reveal His wisdom and glory.
Let’s get acquainted with three creatures and consider what lessons they might teach
us about real stewardship, or oikonomia (hence,
our word, “economy.”) Stewardship in
this context is management of a human
economy within God’s created order, or Economy
(Berry, 1987) with due respect for the laws that govern this Economy for
the good of all and the glory of God. Our
panel of three creatures includes Spring Draba, Skunk Cabbage, and Black
Bear. Later, we will meet “Mr. Hourly
Wage Earner” who resides in many different cultures.
Spring Draba is an early-blooming spring wildflower which
the 18th century botanist, Linnaeus, named Draba verna. In March in SW
Ohio, the alert observer can usually find Draba
growing in the hard soil of paths or trails, or in the bear spots that
interrupt an otherwise smooth, green lawn.
Best if we get on our knees to look carefully-- a good posture for
reverent discernment of God’s Economy.
There, you may see Draba, barely
the height of the toe of your shoe. Even
then, she reaches this height only when her delicate, white flowers are hoisted
on slender, leafless stalks to attract pollinators. Until flowering time, Draba is only a lowly rosette of tiny leaves covering the otherwise
bare soil.
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| Spring Draba, Draba verna, with fruits (Fr) developing from the flowers. |
Usually by mid-April, tiny
Draba has already completed her annual life cycle. Seeds from the previous year have sprouted
and the ground-hugging, leafy rosettes have captured sunlight necessary for
growth, flowering, fruiting, and production of new seeds that will be shed to
lie dormant until the next Spring. How
does such a tiny flowering plant survive, being relegated to the hard-packed
soil and expected to bloom on cold, windswept, March days?
Pretending to understand more than we actually do, botanists
claim that Draba is “adapted to its niche,” or “occupation,” through natural
selection. However, some of us would credit
a Divine Designer for originating the genetic blueprint which then has passed
down through succeeding generations with minor changes through natural
selection to become what we call Draba
verna.
Although Draba’s
origin is debated, there is no debating the “do or die” situation that Draba faces each year. Survival depends upon germination of tiny
seeds in bare soil each Spring. The tiny leaves unfold at ground level, the
warmest place on blustery March days, to soak up the sunshine necessary for photosynthesis
of food to support growth, flowering,
and seed production for the following year. While still on our knees, we can consider how
Draba teaches us individual
responsibility to live in harsh places. But
Draba is not the earliest-blooming
plant in the Midwest.
In February, long before Draba
blooms, I make my annual pilgrimage to a nearby fen (alkaline wetland), often
while it is still blanketed with snow.
Careful examination will reveal the pointy, purplish mottled spathes of
Skunk Cabbage, Symplocarpus foetidus,
poking through the snow. Each spathe is
like a sheltering shroud that protects a fleshy, thumb-sized spike of tiny
flowers within what amounts to a “warm room” in which pollination can
occur.
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| Skunk Cabbage: Spikes of tiny flowers are surrounded by a hood-like "spathe" |
What you won’t see on a cold, February day is the massive
Skunk Cabbage taproot anchored deep within the wetland soil beneath each pointy
spathe. Here, soil temperatures average
55
o F year-around. Within the
taproot are rich stores of “heating fuel” in the form of carbohydrates stored
there during the year before. When Skunk
Cabbage flowers are ready to display mature pollen to insects for pollination,
the flower hikes up its “thermostat” and burns stored “carbs” that flow up to
the spike from the taproot.
Environmental physiology students and I have measured temperatures as
much as 15
o F warmer within the flower spikes than temperatures in
the surrounding winter air!
Result? Apparently, insect
pollinators are attracted by the warmth and by the odor that is dispersed by
the heat into the surrounding air. By April,
new cabbage-like leaves have emerged and their photosynthesis enables the
production of many large seeds and the replenishment of taproot “fuel” for the
following year.
Whereas, the Draba’s
economy depends upon year-to-year production and germination of tiny seeds, the
Skunk Cabbage economy is based on long-term savings and investment in
underground energy reserves. From these
reserves it generates heat to accomplish pollination in the winter when there
is little competition from other plant species for insect pollinators. No matter to Skunk Cabbage if a bad year
occurs; its taproot will have sufficient energy assets to “hold its ground” until
a better year comes.
The Skunk Cabbage reminds me of another creaturely example,
the Black Bear, Ursus americanus,
common in western North America. Like
Skunk Cabbage, the economy of the Black Bear is based on large energy reserves formed
during the summer by a diet that includes storage roots and tubers of plants,
nuts, plant shoots and buds, large and small mammals, insects, honey, and salmon. [Humm!
Would a Black Bear feed on a Skunk Cabbage taproot?]
Like Skunk Cabbage which overwinters underground with its
stored energy in a huge taproot, Black Bears also “go underground” in a den for
the winter. As days become shorter,
bears prepare for winter’s food scarcity and cold by extensive foraging which
leads to the addition of hundreds of pounds in body fat. Pregnant female black bears have the
additional challenge to their economy.
They must nurture two or more baby bears within their uteri which are
then birthed in late winter. To conserve
energy, the Black Bear enters a suitable den to reduce body heat loss; and then,
sharply reduces its metabolism to lower body temperature. Denning and lowering metabolism conserve
energy reserves for the bear just like a human family in a well insulated home that
lowers its thermostat to save on their energy bill.
 |
| Black Bear, Ursus americanus |
We have seen how one species,
Draba, with relatively small energy reserves, and two larger
species, Skunk Cabbage and Black Bear which depend upon huge energy reserves,
each take responsibility to prepare for and survive harsh winters and rugged
environments. The energy economy of
humans is not all that different from other creatures. Each must have suitable nutrition, shelter,
and social relationships necessary for procreation and nurture of offspring. However, biblically speaking, humans have
been created with vastly superior intellect and ability to enter into more complex
social and political relationships that revolve around a monetary economy.
Let’s consider the laborer who earns an income based on an
hourly wage or who is paid by contract when a particular task or job is
completed. The survival of many of the
world’s workers and their families depends upon hourly or otherwise regular
wage-for-work. The plight of many
laborers may be illustrated by the story once told by Ralph and Lucy, our
family friends who once served as missionaries in Bangladesh. Ralph had come upon a heated argument
between several laborers, or coolies,
along a riverbank. It seems that at
least one coolie was objecting to a request from his superior to unload bags of
rice from a truck and onto a boat docked at the riverbank. Why would a healthy, adult Bengali male
refuse this opportunity for employment?
Upon inquiry, Ralph learned that the payment being offered
to the coolie in rice grain for food in return for his labor was unacceptable
to the man because it offered insufficient caloric value for his service
rendered. Amazingly, this man’s economy had
taken into account the calories required to unload the rice from the truck, a
task he was willing to do. But, he refused
to move the rice onto the boat in what would have been a smoother, more
efficient operation. Reason? His payment in calories and nutrition would not
have provided sufficient compensation for his bodily work plus extra calories
and nutrition needed to feed his family.
This account illustrates the large cultural and economic gap
that exists between Asian coolies and most people who read this blog. The Bengali breadwinner’s economy required literally
a day-by-day “balancing of the books” for him and his family to survive. Few of us can even comprehend such an economy. Like
Draba with her “do-or-die economy” in the harsh soil and cold days of early
Spring, many wage-earners must take day-to-day responsibility to support
themselves and their loved ones.
We now return
to our opening question: If we agree
that God calls us as His stewards to consider
His creation with a
disposition of reverent discernment of our individual responsibility toward
Him, toward our neighbor, and toward His creation; then, what can we learn from
creatures so diverse as Draba, Skunk
Cabbage, Black Bear, and a human laborer?
First, we learn the principle of God’s provision. God provides for His creatures through the Economy of His creation. All creatures must have a continual supply of
energy and nutrition for sustenance. Draba and Skunk Cabbage rely on sunlight
to power their growth and reproduction from inorganic building blocks in the
soil and atmosphere. On the other hand, Black
Bear and the human worker consume plants and sometimes meat as food.
Though they are diverse, the Creator has equipped each
creature to obtain necessary sustenance according to their niche in the Economy
of creation. No creature can create and
sustain life out of inorganic constituents.
Test tube experiments to produce even one living cell have failed, let
alone efforts to create and sustain the economy of a whole ecosystem as attempted in the Biosphere 2 project in the Arizona
desert in the 1980’s.
God’s special revelation in the book of Job underscores the
necessity of His provision for His creation:
But now ask the beasts, and let them teach you;
And the birds of the heavens, and let them tell you.
Or speak to the earth, and let it teach you;
And let the fish of the sea declare to
you.
Who among all these does not know
That the hand of the LORD has done this,
In whose hand is the life of every living thing,
And the breath of all mankind? -- Job
12: 7-10 (NASB)
The second principle we learn from the natural revelation
through these four kinds of creatures is the principle of individual responsibility for survival and reproduction.
Within the larger Economy of creation, in
order to survive, each creature must operate within physical and biological
limits that govern its own economy.
Thus, we see Draba being and
doing what Draba is designed to be
and do; namely, facing the rigors of cold, March days on hard soil to grow and produce
seeds for the next year.
Likewise, the Bengali worker must complete his task for a payment
of food that is sufficient for his bodily sustenance with enough extra to feed
his family. On the other hand, the
economy of Skunk Cabbage, Black Bear, and many of us includes a means of
storing energy or monetary assets that provide a “cushion” against immediate
life or death. However, the principle of
individual responsibility still applies in that all creatures must acquire
energy and nutrients during the season of opportunity and save extra for an
unfavorable season lest they die.
A third principle revealed in Scripture and in creation is the
principle of reverent discernment in
conservation and restoration. Successful
conservation of the diverse forms of life on Earth must respect the unique
requirements and context upon which each species depends for its existence. Our panel of four creatures can each testify
that even well meaning attempts to promote their welfare often represent a
violation of natural laws that govern their well being. For example, let’s help Draba by tilling the soil in those hard-packed, bare-soil spots and
then add some nitrogen fertilizer.
Result? Many of her tiny seeds
will be buried too deeply to germinate; and, the increased soil fertility will
enable other plant species including lawn grass to invade and occupy the bare
spots and make it inhospitable for Draba. The harsh environment that Draba is designed and adapted to face is
the very key to her survival.
Like Draba, both
Skunk Cabbage and Black Bear naturally benefit from simply being left alone by
well meaning caretakers. There is a
reason that the two plant species have been called “wildflowers” and that Black
Bear is considered a “wild animal.”
Attempts to “domesticate” or otherwise alter their natural context have
violated the very nature of what they were created to be.
Well meaning attempts in the late 1800’s to conserve the
Black Bear in Yellowstone National Park while providing closer access for tourists
to observe and feed them led to a conversion of this grand , wild creature from
bear to beggar. As Angela Reese reported
in her masters thesis (2007)
Yellowstone condoned the regulated feeding of bears at these “lunch counters,” and tacitly gave patrons permission to feed bears themselves. Later she adds: Roadside feeding transformed passive spectators into active participants and allowed the park visitor an opportunity for interaction with park wildlife. These visitors became shapers of bears’ lives and behavior (Biel, 2006).
The same well meaning efforts, sometimes in the name of “social justice”, without reverent discernment can be as demeaning and degrading to humankind as it is with wild creatures. Before developing this notion further we must remember both the uniqueness of humankind and the great cultural diversity within Homo sapiens.
The average American has more economic security than many
lower-income workers around the world. Like
the Skunk Cabbage and Black Bear, many of us have reserves in our household
economies. Nevertheless, all humans have
an individual stewardship responsibility to utilize time, abilities, and
opportunities to care for themselves, family, and neighbor. Responsibility to work is grounded in the
Judeo-Christian Scriptures which reveal a Creator Who works and rests. It follows that God has given mankind a
weekly cycle of work (six days) and rest (a Sabbath day) (e.g. Exodus 20: 9-11). The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Thessalonians, Chapter
3, that Christians should not lead “an undisciplined life” (verse 6). Paul’s own economy as a tentmaker underscored
his teaching (verses 7-9) as well as his command that “if anyone will not work,
neither let him eat” (verses 10-12).
There is no contradiction in God’s Word between “love your
neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 19:19) and “if anyone will not work, neither let
him eat.” We are called to help the
helpless; but with a correct definition of helping, one that respects human
dignity. Marvin Olasky (WORLD, 2009) quotes
Josephine Lowell, a 19th century New York City charity leader, who
wrote:
the problem before
those who would be charitable, is not how to deal with a given number of poor;
it is how to help those who are poor, without adding to their numbers and
constantly increasing the evils they seek to cure.
Olasky further quotes an article in Charities Review, in 1900, in which Edward T. Devine called for
charities whose goal was
not "that poor
families should suffer, but that charity should accomplish its purpose."
Thoughtless generosity was akin to selfishness if it made charity misfire.
Generosity plus discernment was key.
Throughout history, there have always been people in need of
help. Good stewards are to use reverent
discernment to rightly identify God-given abilities and opportunities both for
meaningful work and to rightly discern the right ways to help our neighbor when
he or she is in need (see Ephesians 4: 28).
Nowhere does the Bible teach that it is the responsibility of government
to help of the poor and needy. The 19th
century charity leader, Amos G. Warner, understood this principle and saw
governmental welfare as necessarily more
impersonal and mechanical than private charity or individual action (Olasky,
2009).
Today’s news is filled with reports of well meaning efforts
by Washington to help the needy while challenging the more fortunate to “pay
their fair share.” Yet Washington’s
distance from the diversity of American families, businesses, and local
economies, and its “one-size-fits-all approach is like fertilizing Draba or providing food “dumps” for
Black Bears. Result? A violation of the natural order in which
human dignity is often lost and an ever larger percentage of Americans become
dependent upon government.
In summary, we can discern from God’s created order that all
creatures are dependent upon His Economy.
Second, God has equipped each species to respond by using its genetic
and behavioral equipment to “be fruitful and multiply.” Fruitfulness depends upon
both individual responsibility and the state of the environment and biotic
community within which a given species lives.
Third, any human effort to “help” another species or a
neighbor must be guided by reverent discernment of God’s natural and special
revelations. Our father Adam’s first
lesson in stewardship was to become acquainted with the other creatures with
such detail that he came to understand that his niche was totally different
from any other creature (Genesis 2: 15-25).
Likewise, humble discernment is necessary for effective conservation and
restoration human communities and local economies. Conservation of wildlife such as the Black
Bear requires more than provision of feeding “dumps” that convert them to
beggars. Likewise, restoration of human
dignity and purpose among the needy depends upon short-term assistance that
includes assistance and incentives to find meaningful work.
Conservation and restoration of both mankind and fellow
creatures requires knowledge of and attentiveness to the uniqueness of each biotic
community and neighborhood; gaining a “sense of place” as described in
Oikonomia,
Sept. 31, 2011 . These are the tasks
best taken up by responsible members of family and church
spheres
of authority in cooperation with appropriate local community groups.
Your comments are always welcome. My sources and some additional references are
listed below.
References:
Berry, Wendell.
1987. Home Economics. North Point Press, San Francisco.
Biel, Alice Wondrak. 2006. Do (not) feed the bears: The
fitful history of wildlife and tourists in Yellowstone. University Press of
Kansas. 186 pgs.
Olasky, Marvin.
2009. Giving That Worked. WORLD
Magazine, March 14, 2009).
Reese, Angela.
2007. Addressing Food
Conditioning of Cascade Red Foxes in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington. Masters Thesis, Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA.
