Ashes To Ashes, Dust To Dust

Nature is full of life and beauty, but death is also a part of nature. With all of the breaking news about the deaths of several well-known personalities over the past few days, we are reminded once more that our time on the earth is temporary.

Just when I thought I would see this week's death list finally come to a close, I was informed last night that my own father had died as well. I was reminded of the nature of mortality in a very personal way. God was speaking His wisdom to me all through last night.

'Ashes to ashes, dust to dust'? Is it just a cliche? What, exactly, does this mean?

Seeds and kernels die and then find their way into the soil to spark new life. Some really beautiful flowers can grow out of the ashes. Bountiful crops can grow out of the dust to feed the world. God's ecosystem wastes not - and wants not. There is a balance to life.

As I look around my community, I see houses, trees, fences, cars, roads, birds, animals and people. All will eventually turn to dust. It is all temporary. It is all a slow appearance and disappearance - a bit of an illusion, really.

Timeless, eternal values are all that remain. All else is a perpetual cycle of life, death and regeneration. Each phase must be experienced, celebrated, mourned and recycled into a new gift of creation.

Nature is life. Nature is death. Nature is resurrection. Nature is eternal!

This is a guest post from my son, Mark.

© 2009 Christian Nature