Over the weekend my husband and I were talking about how there are at least two kinds of destruction. One is by man and the other by God.
Although the result of destruction from either source can be devastating, we were observing that when God destroys something there is often beauty in it. Consider a wildfire, set off by lightning. First the lightning is beautiful in its way, and fire is mesmerizing. After these fires do their worst, the land is rejuvenated for new growth strengthened by the nutrients in the soil left behind after the fire.
On the opposite end of devastation from fire is devastation from floods. Water in a house can leave us with all kinds of problems, including mold. But in nature, if there aren’t any homes in the way of the flood, this kind of destruction benefits the land because of sediment deposits left behind when the waters recede.
Earthquakes, volcanoes, rock/mudslides, tornadoes — they all reveal an awesome power, and if societies didn’t live in the wake of these disasters we would stand back and be impressed by the powers of nature that sustain our planet and keep it viable for us to inhabit.
Man’s destruction, on the other hand, is often not nearly as impressive. Take for example all of the debris floating up in space. Go and see the movie Gravity for a picture of just how ugly that destruction is (which is what inspired this conversation to begin with).
Or the destruction left behind by war, or economic ruin.
Thought for the week: Examples of man’s version of destruction (ugly, without benefit) and God’s (often beautiful but always with a purpose).
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