Fungus, Weeds and Dead Pine Needles!

Theological reflection happens anywhere and anytime we might be open to recognizing something that God is revealing to us in a given moment and place. I had that reiterated recently as we spent a few days in Woodstock Vermont.

First, walking along the path from the bottom of Queche Gorge I saw this tree stump that was covered with fugus. At first glance they weren't very attractive; in fact, they appeared to be blights that were quite ugly. However, when I looked closer and made this second photograph I could see how even the fungie were interesting to look at, and that they had their own unique beauty too.

Weeds are very often recognized as out of place in our gardens and covering our lawns. In fact, people often spray to get rid of them or dig them up because they're unattractive and out of place. I saw these Queen Anne's Lace throughout the gorge in Queche and in other spots too. They're everywhere and can be seen as a weed. That's even more true of dandelions; they pop up and grow and take away from the beauty of our well manicured lawns and gardens. And yet they photograph so well in both cases; they have a beauty that is their own; they are intricately made; they are a part of God's beautiful creation.

Along the path there were also hills that were covered with pine needles that had died and fallen from their tree. What use are dried up, dead needles from a pine tree? Would we be tempted to rake them up for the sake of tidiness? And yet, with these dried, brown needles God has formed a carpet of beauty under foot.

There's a lesson there about God and what we perceive about God's creation. Some things, and even some people, may seem to be blights that aren't very attrative and take something away from the rest of God's creation which is so beautiful in our eyes. We make judgements based on our own perceptions and biases of what shows beauty and what doesn't. However, even what see as a blight that is ugly, everything and everyone God creates has their own beauty whether we can recognize it or not; everything and everyone that God creates has value. I thanked God for that fungus, the Queen Anne's Lace, the dandelions and the dead pine needles which reminded me to look beyond what I first see and recognize God's beauty that is everywhere and in everything and everyone!