Loving Creation in the Day-to-Day
Doug Urbaniak
I love sharing things I create with others, and I expect them to be good stewards by caring for and enjoying my creation to the fullest. I want to believe that God had the same intention when He shaped what we know as creation, and that He feels our love for Him when we enjoy His creation to the full extent.
Some days, loving creation comes naturally to me. It is hard not to love it when you are hiking and mountain biking in the Rockies, or kayaking and fishing in one of Minnesota’s 10000 lakes. But for me, that isn’t my day-to-day interaction with creation. As an engineer for a large agriculture company and a resident of a small, rural town, it takes a bit more work for me to enjoy creation. Here are several ways I have found to do this.
The first way I have found to enjoy creation is to ride my bike to work. Searching for routes away from the busy roads I would typically drive has shown me beautiful places I would otherwise miss on my 12-mile commute. This route follows the hills, valleys, creeks, and rivers that are evidence of God’s fingerprint on the land. The route is rough, imperfect compared to the perfect state routes and interstate highway of my car-powered commute. But this contrast gives me comfort in my own imperfections, assuring me that “perfect” doesn’t mean better. Taking the road less traveled, and slowing down to follow the imperfect path is a way I have found to enjoy the creation right in my backyard.
The second way I have found to enjoy creation is to go have an adventure with one or both of our dogs. The most clear example of this has happened when we take our two dogs to a park outside of our town. It is a beautiful park, with some dense woods, some open grass areas, a short trail, and a lake, and is surrounded by corn and soybean fields and a busy state route. Most days we are there, it is easy to to be distracted by the buzz of cars and trucks on the road, or the cloud of dust and whine of a diesel tractor doing fieldwork nearby. But all our dogs see is that field that must be run across, the pile of leaves that must be rolled in, and that lake that must be jumped in. They don’t seem to find anything to detract from loving creation to the fullest. I am finding joy in viewing creation the same way our dogs do.
A third way I have come to enjoy creation is by looking towards the sun. I’m encouraged that the faint sun behind a mask of gray fog and clouds is the exact same sun that takes my breath away when I’m in the mountains. After some exhausting days at work, a sunset on my ride home serves as one thing I can acknowledge as good. Other days, I feel like it takes everything I have just to get moving in the morning. But when I see the sun rising over the horizon, I find strength for the day. I also really love a sunrise on a dreary, gray, cloudy morning. But no matter how thick, dark, and gray the clouds are, the sun is always there, maybe just providing the slightest highlight on the horizon. No matter how dim, it serves as a reminder of the power of beauty and brightness in a world that can seem so cold and dark.
I have to decide each day if I am going to love creation or merely go about my routine within it. So, next time you go outside, I want to challenge you: How can you love the creation within your day-to-day routine?
Doug is a passionate adventurer. Some of the ways he fulfills his passion include but is not limited to cycling, running, hiking, fishing, camping and just being outside. He prefers sharing his adventures with his wife, Emily, and their dogs Oreo and Addi. He is also committed to finding ways to love the creation he encounters while going about his day-to-day life.