Natural Nature

As a parent, I want my children to grow up understanding that God created the world and everything in it. As I take my daughter for a walk down the street, I often say things like, "What a cool tree that God made!"

Then I stop to consider something: Did God really create the same tree that I see today? Not really. He created an ancestor of that tree, and the seeds of the original trees have reproduced enough times to have a tree today. Furthermore, the trees of today are not in the same place that the original trees were. Many of today's trees were planted by people. People have chosen when and where to plant them, as well as watering them and trimming their branches.

Obviously, trees are part of "nature", but I draw a distinction between nature that is maintained by people and nature that is maintained by God. I enjoy seeing a well-maintained garden, but something inside me get even more excited about walking through a forest that has not been altered by human impact. I get equally excited about other areas of "natural nature", such as mountains, oceans, and the planets.