What God has wrought in us

 

“Remember, O Lord, what you have wrought in us … and, as you have called us to your service, make us worthy of our calling …” Book of Common Prayer, 1979

We have had a lot of rain here in my neck of the woods this spring. I know this area has a reputation for being wet and gray and miserable year-round. Unfortunately, folks have learned that’s a lie, and so the population of the state has grown enough to make me groan.

That’s OK, though. People have to live someplace, and if one has the means to relocate, why not? The other day our landscaper, Isaias, brought a few plants to add to our front yard. I’d mentioned my interest in having more color out front. Green is nice, but other colors of the rainbow are also delightful.

I should add that my wife and I generally do our own planting and flower-buying, but we were having a new retaining wall installed to prevent our front yard from leaving us and moving across the street. Clergy often live in glass houses, so I didn’t want our neighbors (who are very nice, by the way) to have any (more) dirt on us. Hence, a retaining wall.

Anyway, Isaias was adjusting one of the new shrubs, and a tiny green frog jumped out of the planter pot onto the fresh black mulch and seemed confused in his or her new surroundings. I found myself immediately worrying about the little critter. 

Did they have some place to go? Would they be able to find friends with whom to hang and get a lay of the land? The frogs around here tend to be more brown than green. Would they be judged for the color of their skin or by the content of their character?

Shifts in geography are always a little unsettling. While I may worry about how the frog will do with this major resettlement event, I suspect this particular “pseudacris regilla” will be primarily concerned with finding a place that is sheltered from birds and predators, and with access to adequate supplies of food, water, and mates – the basics of life.

We humans are interested in and in need of the basics of life, too. We need more than that, though. I don’t know if frogs can dream dreams or envision a brighter future where they can hop across verdant fields of grass without fear of being picked off by crows or jays, but we humans can and do.

Unlike the lilies of the field, the birds of the air, or the frogs in the bushes, we humans tend to fret and worry more than is either necessary or healthy. Worry stresses the body, mind, and spirit. I like the prayer (above); we ask God to remember what God has “wrought” in us. We were made for so much more than eating, drinking, and procreating. Individually, we are gifted.

More than being “gifted,” we’ve been called to God’s service. I should note that one doesn’t have to believe in God, or the God of the Bible to fulfill their purpose as a human being. In fact, sometimes one’s faith can get in the way of being a decent human being, but that’s a matter for discussion another time.

What I’m talking about here is being aware of and sensitive to the world around us. That includes the earth we walk on, the trees that give us shade, and the zillion other life forms that make up our part of the universe. 

It costs nothing to be kind and attentive. I’ll confess I don’t mind squishing mosquitoes (although I’m sure God has a purpose for them, too). I don’t smash them to be cruel, but to defend myself from the diseases mossies may carry. But if a creature crosses my path, I strive to watch out for it, to not scare it or upset it.

We have plenty of opportunities to be kind and gentle. More than that, we are made to serve one another. Not to be subservient, but to work together as equals. If one wants a bandwagon to hop on, I would recommend that one here in this, our valley.

Keith Axberg writes on matters concerning life and faith. Author of: Who the Blazes is Jesus? Good News for a Vulgar World (available through Amazon in Print and e-book)