Happy Arbor Day!

What a wonderful way to follow-up Earth Day by having Arbor Day.  The history behind both holidays are fascinating, but too much to include in this blog.  (I would have to write page upon page to adequately discuss the histories of both.)  In a nutshell, the holiday promotes the planting of trees to further strengthen the Earth's ecosystem, as well as to bolster Mother Nature's hold against the negative industrial and technological advances in the present day and age.  As stewards of this wonderful planet we live on, I am in full agreement concerning our roles and responsibilities.  However, I would like to press further into the heart of the issue for what I believe is really at stake.  Planting a tree is an investment which pays off in the long-term.  So is investing in spiritual concepts and higher-level principles.  There is always more than meets the eye, other occurrences than what we can perceive through our five sense.  Similar to needing the life-giving elements emitted by nature upon which we are physically dependent for sustenance, we are also dependent upon the hidden spiritual realm for our eternal needs, whether or not we are conscious of such a need.  Our humanity is not one- or two-dimensional.  We must pursue health in all areas in order to remain well-rounded and truly balanced if we are to live life to the fullest.  So the next time you plant a tree, work a garden, or simply enjoy the outdoors, think about the other meta-physical planes of existence we are not usually prone to contemplate.  Consider your investment in nature as a first-step to opening yourself to a relationship with God Almighty.  It is He who created all this as a sign pointing to His existence and desire for a relationship with you.
"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities
 -- his eternal power and divine nature -- 
have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, 
so that men are without excuse.  
For although they knew God, 
they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him 
but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened."  
(Romans 1:20-21)

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