The Food Chain

The Food Chain

                As beautiful as nature is, it can be just as harsh and what many might consider to be cruel. When you sit and take in a sunset over the mountains, its beauty strikes you with awe and can fill your soul with a whole array of emotions. It can be conducive to some quiet time with the Lord. It may be the ideal catalyst for some self-reflection. It may be the perfect time to let your mind go free as a kite in the wind and wander any way it wants, or allow you to let go of your struggles and meditate. Whatever you end up doing, the calm serenity, and natural beauty, have a way of, temporarily blocking out the bad affording you some time of peace and tranquility.

            In nature, a tranquil scene like that can change in the blink of an eye. You may be admiring the beauty of a little meadow clearing in the woods where the grass is thick and green, the birds are singing, the flowers are in full bloom, and the sun kisses everything it touches. And you think to yourself, “Nothing could make this any better, this is a perfect little spot and a perfect moment in time.” When suddenly, from behind a tiny bush appears a rabbit, and a few seconds later three more much smaller bunnies appear. They are nibbling grass and the little ones are playing and hopping around and you realize you were wrong. This is even more perfect.  Everything is quiet and you hold your breath trying not to scare them, and spoil the moment. Then this dark shadow passes over your head and before you realize what is going on, a hawk has soared down and scooped up one of the babies in its’ razor-sharp talons and flies away with it while it is kicking, squealing, and crying.

            To some, a sight like this would be extremely unsettling and disturbing. I won’t lie and say it didn’t rattle me a little. But I understand the Cycle of Life and realize those creatures were only doing, what animals do. There was no malice or emotions, just a hungry bird who found an easy target for a meal. Or as the police might put it, there was motive (the bird was hungry) and opportunity (the rabbit was there for the taking). In nature, you will find examples like this everywhere you care to look close enough. Every plant and every creature plays a part in the food chain. One minute they may be the predator and the next be the prey.

            Mankind being the apex of the Food Chain, has no natural enemies that hunt him down for food. Unlike the animals, he possesses the ability to think and reason. He is capable of making choices and decisions based on fact and logic. He also has a soul which guides him in a decision process, to determine right from wrong, and yet if cruelty exists, and it does, he is the perpetrator. I once was an avid hunter, and don’t find a thing wrong with hunting, providing one uses proper ethics. So, what I’m about to say does not reflect on responsible hunters. Man goes against nature when he kills for sport or the thrill of killing! To take the life of any living thing just to be killing it is a sin. God granted us dominion over the animals and told us we can eat of them, but to shoot, trap, or injure any animal, without purpose or a good reason is cruel and inhumane. We are expected to be good stewards over all things, plants, animals, the earth, wind, and the waters.

            But mankind can’t even respect and treat itself well. We are cruel and mean to each other. Whether we are talking about a lack of good manners and respect for each other, or being outright cruel to one another. We pride ourselves on being civilized creatures and yet for some, they have no more respect or concern for a fellow human being than they do a bag of trash, maybe less! A human life means nothing, therefore they have no qualms about causing others suffering and pain or in some cases, taking a life.

            While I don’t know many of the facts involving this story, it blends well with the point I’m making and even points out that adults aren’t the only ones of our species who exhibit horrendous behavior. I’m referring to the ongoing tragedy involving a 13-year-old Missouri girl by the name of Aubreigh Wyatt, who was bullied so badly by her peers who also were minors, that she took her own life rather than to have to continue to face these heartless tormentors. You can Google her name and read this tragic story and how evidently her mother is receiving much the same treatment, for trying to get justice on her behalf.

            While I was in the process of writing this story, the news started blowing up with reports of how an assassination attempt was made on Former President Donald Trump. I don’t care what political party you belong to or what your feelings are about Trump, this is a black eye for our country and should outrage anyone! Murder is murder, and there is no justification for an action like this.

            But these stories don’t even begin to tell the atrocities, that mankind wreaks down on its’ fellow man. Throughout our history, there have been individuals who are notorious for their inhumanity, such as; Adolf Hitler, Ivan the Terrible, Genghis Khan, and others. But odious Satanistic behavior isn’t limited to only a handful of examples. Our modern-day society is infested with heinous crimes such as; human trafficking, rape, incest, pedophilia, Identity theft, title theft, elderly abuse, false prophets, and oh my gosh I can go on forever! There literally seems to be no end to the evil depravity and madness of mankind! There is so much doom and gloom in this world, that people must be wondering if there is any hope left. The world today is just as it was in the days of Noah, and Read Genesis 6:5-7-, to see how God dealt with that situation. If you’re anything like me, you may be questioning why God hasn’t returned yet. Read Genesis 18:26-33. It tells us how God was willing to spare a city for a handful of righteous people.

And while we don’t often hear much about the goodness left in this world, there remain a lot of good people. Strong Christian evangelicals are devoting their lives to spreading the Gospel of God, prayer warriors who pray without ceasing, people of compassion ministering to the poor and homeless, and too many others to mention. But one thing nearly all these people are suffering from is the feeling that they are out there alone and on their own other than the help they receive from the Lord. And I don’t mean to imply that God’s support isn’t sufficient, but how much better would they feel, how much more encouraged would they be, if every Christian quit sitting on their faith and got busy supporting them, and joined with them, in the fight? Any load gets lighter the more hands that are carrying it.

            We are intelligent enough to see how much better our sports teams perform when they receive support from the fans. How can we be so disconnected from our faith that we can’t see that our team needs our support? I’ve heard many a great preacher comment about how they would preach their hearts out, only to look over the congregation and see people looking at their phones, gabbing to one another and everyone having a look on their face like the were eating prunes or falling asleep. I can only imagine the motivation they must feel, the next time to stand behind that pulpit. When we discuss how terrorists plan attacks against us the subject of (sleeper cells) always comes up. We Christians have our own form of sleeper cells, but that’s the problem, they are really asleep!

            People, we are at war! Whether anyone wants to admit it or not! Evil is spreading like a plague. Its armies are in full force and to use another sports analogy, they have taken possession of the ball and are on our twenty-yard line. Our first string has played the entire game, defense, and offense, and is beaten up and tired. There is no excuse for anyone to sit on the sidelines, but if that’s all you’ll do, at least cheer! God has a role for each and every person to play. And we can no longer sit back and wait for the preacher or anyone else to do our part. As a coach would tell his players, it’s time to get your head in the game or go home, take the uniform off, and quit calling yourself a player! If evil isn’t beating on your door, it’s because it’s already inside your home and feeling quite comfy. Is there still time to make a difference, you might ask? Yes, as long as you have breath inside of you, God will use you. He told us that if His people who are called by his name will repent their evil ways, humble themselves, and pray, he will hear us from Heaven, forgive our sins, and heal our land.

            You know how I mentioned earlier that man was at the top of the food chain, well, that’s what science teaches. But the truth is we are being hunted and pursued every minute of every day by Satan and his league of demons. And if you think for one moment demons aren’t real, then friend you need to read your Bible. Mankind has moved so far from God we are weaker and easier prey than lambs, and walking blindly to the slaughter. If there were ever a time to stand up and scream enough is enough, and jump into action, now is that time!

Scripture of the Day:   1 Peter 5:8

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”