If we used [nature] as our only clue [to God’s character], then I think we should have to conclude that He was a great artist (for the universe is a very beautiful place), but also that He is quite merciless and no friend to man (for the universe is a very dangerous and terrifying place).
–C. S. Lewis
FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE TERRIFYING
My wife and I were in Banff, Canada, celebrating our anniversary amid the grandeur of the Canadian Rockies. There were many highlights. We stood on the ancient ice of a glacier, hiked in wooded canyons serenaded by waterfalls, and gaped awestruck at the heavenly hues of glacial lakes. We were especially delighted to see wildlife, such as a massive bull elk at close quarters and grizzly bears sunning themselves in distant meadows.
On our last day we decided to relax and hike near Banff itself. Skirting the edges of town, we stopped on a rocky beach to admire the Bow River. I swept my gaze over the glorious panorama, overcome by the beauty and serenity. The scene was idyllic, with snow-capped peaks, a roaring river, and stately pine trees.
Then, as I turned around, my heart began to pound at an altogether different sight. Emerging from the woods just twenty-five yards away was a large grizzly. I could tell immediately the bear was a female. That is because right behind her were three small cubs! We were facing one of the great perils of nature: a mother bear with cubs; and our backs were to the river as she led her brood straight toward us!
I knew that any sense of threat she felt to the cubs would lead her to kill us instantly. What to do? Fight or flight? Pick your poison: confronting a 700-pound mountain of muscle, claws, and teeth is the height of folly. And as for fleeing, there is no escape from a vengeful grizzly. The bear can outrun any person or shake its quarry from the apparent safety of a tree.
We had been instructed that if we encountered such a deadly situation, we should make no eye contact (a sign of aggression), act as calm as possible, and back slowly away. If the bear attacked us, we would fall to the ground, play dead, and hope she lost interest before mauling us. I was sick with fear imagining such a scenario involving my wife. But as the sow and cubs lumbered toward us, we could retreat no further because of the river at our backs. We were forced to sidle on a path that seemed to bring us right across their noses.
With my heart in my throat I shot a glance sideways in horror to see the mother following us, but she persisted just a short distance, then turned back to lead her trio of cubs to the water for a drink.
We hiked breathlessly through the woods and soon made the edge of town with its welcome buildings. Yet somehow, even after an hour, we still felt uneasy. After all, on the main street, there were bear-proof lids on all the garbage cans! It was easy to imagine that a giant grizzly might suddenly appear around any corner, and we could not relax until we were indoors. As for further hiking that day, the forested trails that had earlier appeared so enchanting now seemed dark and full of menace. Even years later, it is hard to laugh off the event.
BACKTRACKING A BIT
A major goal of Docsology is to explore how God reveals his identity through the natural world. Creation provides insights into the character of God, and we can know him better by considering its wonders. But maybe you are tiring of all the triumphalism. Maybe as I extolled the human body, you were just thinking about your nagging migraines. As I exulted in the beauty of the earth, perhaps you recalled being miserably cold, rather than enthralled, on a snowy day.
Let’s be honest: if we spend much time in nature – for that matter if we just spend enough time inside our own bodies – we will soon encounter facets that are not so wonderful. For all its splendor, sometimes the face that nature shows us is horror and evil. In the most beautiful place I have ever seen, I was certainly drawn closer to God… but that was mainly to cry out frantically to him!
THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY
The book of Romans teaches that all men should have an inherent knowledge of God from nature. If that is the case, what could be easier than traipsing into the wild and thus achieving spiritual enlightenment?
The problem is that there are serious limitations to what we can learn about the creator solely from considering his workmanship. Without more specific input, we are bound to go astray in searching for him. The reasons for this are weaknesses inherent in the medium of nature itself and, much more importantly, our own shortcomings as human beings. As the grizzly incident illustrates, not only does nature have more than one aspect, but just as importantly, our own perceptions of things can be biased by our experiences and emotional states. The fault lies not in our stars, but in ourselves.
If nature is the sole intermediary of your connection with God, a close-up visit from a grizzly can shake your warm, fuzzy faith. Grizzlies certainly speak to the power and terror of God – very real aspects of his being – but is this the whole account? How can we get a clearer picture?
We will explore the answer in the next several posts.
Dr. Bill Maynard