# 7

Jesus said:  'Where your treasure is there will be your heart also.'

 -- Luke 12:34

Jesus also said: 'Children, how hard is it for those that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of Heaven.'

At some point in 2014 my wife and I made what was for us a huge decision.  We decided to divest ourselves of most of our possessions and made plans to move into a small, half-finished cabin.

The cabin was a mile and a half down a dead-end road and totally off-grid.  On January 13 of 2015 we completed the move just a month before my 67th birthday.

A few friends and some relatives asked what we could be thinking and what would make us do such a thing.  Our answer was most easily expressed by Luke 12:34 quoted above.  We both believed that one need not be dead in order to enter into the kingdom of God. In fact, we believe that there are some real advantages to making this move while one is still alive. We felt that the move closer to nature and to a simpler way of life would better position us to be where our treasures and heart are and to be at peace with nature.  From that the notion of 'Christians at Peace with Nature' was born.

We may have taken it a bit far but time spent with the things that God has created stand in stark contrast to time spent in the hectic pace of modern life.  As Henry Thoreau wrote: 'We are in such a rush as to expect that we are about to be late to get into Heaven.'

There are drawbacks to living off the grid -- things like cutting and splitting firewood come to mind, giving new meaning to a verse found in Genesis 2: 'by the sweat of your brow you shall earn a living'. The blessings far outweigh the disadvantages--the wild aspects and tranquillity found in living amongst God's creations more than compensate.  Then there's the confidence found in being able to do more with less.  Again, Thoreau commented: 'A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone.'

It's not for everyone, this kind of life; it's been a steep learning curve for us.  The truth is that only a few would want to join us on this adventure of trying to be at peace with nature.  Take heart!  It's not necessary that everyone make the same decision we have.  If you have a special place or activity that draws you closer to creation, it's quite probable that you are already one of us.  Tending a garden, be it a big one or just a window box; having a special place that is sacred perhaps only to you -- it might be a park or under the shade of your favourite tree; or it could be time spent with one of God's many critters.  All these things through the blood of our Christ qualify you as a Christian at peace with nature.  How?  We believe that the things of creation serve best in putting our spirit with the wisdom and the comfort found in God's Holy Spirit.  These are blessings to be counted as riches if we just take notice of:

The year's at the spring

and day's at the morn,

Morning's at seven;

The hillside's dew-pearled:

The lark on the wing;

The snail's on the thorn:

God's is in his heaven -

All's right with the world.

                               -- Robert Browning

My Dad had one that he like to recite every morning at 6:30:

Rise and shine

It's daylight in the swamp

The birds are singing sweet praises to God and his world

It's time to wake up and get up

Don't wait, do it now

Wake up!

I'd love to know where Dad got this little gem from.

Richard DeSmet

a Christian at peace with nature