Human Nature

My vacation this year has reminded me how much I like nature.  Sometimes I feel like I could never get enough of the mountains and the beach.  They are beautiful places that show off the wonder of God’s creation.

On this vacation, we headed for the beach.  We stopped along the way and spent one night at a swampy lake in Georgia. 

Sam paddles through the cypress trees

It was beautiful, but after a little while, the heat and the  bugs started bothering us, so we made for the air conditioned comfort of our nice bug-free camping trailer.  The next morning, we pulled up camp and finished our two-day journey to the beach.

As I write this, we are still at the beach, enjoying the warm ocean and the beautiful wide beaches.  Our camping area is under the shade of the natural wooded tree line, just behind the dunes.  No condos here.  Just nature.  I could enjoy staying here for a long time, enjoying the natural beauty of the beach, so long as I don’t have to put up with ALL the aspects of nature.

A view of the beach

What I realized this trip is that I do enjoy nature, so long as I don’t have to take it naturally.  The hot muggy days at the beach are fine as long as I have a cool air conditioned trailer to retreat to.  I can deal with the bugs, if I have plenty of “Off” to spray on.  The evening thunder storms are kind of nice when you can hear the patter of the rain on the camper roof.  But what if I had to take nature raw?

Our un-natural camper on the natural beach

Many of us (myself included) SAY we like nature, but what we really mean is we like PARTS of nature.  The beach would not be nearly so popular if there were no such thing as air conditioning.  A journey to the top of a mountain might not be as enticing if you had to walk up, slashing your way through forest as you went. Our roads, air conditioners, sprays, lotions, and gadgets all make nature much more acceptable . . . and . . . less natural.

Watered down nature is what I really like.  Nature that has been tamed.  Nature adjusted to fit my needs.  It is human nature to do just that.  We like things adjusted.  Adapted.  Revised to our liking.  And so, we do.

I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.  As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
         Galations 6-9

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
        2 Timothy 4:3-4