Anabelle and I were with some friends yesterday in a vermiculture farm. These tangles of worms look so slimy, dirty and even abominable. Yet, they are part and parcel of the beautiful cycle of life. They are raised for the compost they produce through their waste. They are fed the manure of animals, literally horse shit. Their compost is then used as organic fertilizers in growing the vegetables, crops, trees, and greens in and around the farm. And beyond. The farm sells vermicast, a potent organic fertilizer, to organic farmers in the area. Everything is as nature has intended it to be. Nothing is ever wasted. Everything is part of the cycle of life. Everything has a role to play. Ever so humble it may be, it is a vital part of the life cycle in the farm. Nothing is artificial. No chemical pesticides. No chemical fertilizers. The crops and the fruits are enjoyed by humans. The greens are fed to animals and livestock. People are healthier and happier. Horses are more graceful and elegant. And the beef is tastier and more tender.
Any place where God has walked is sacred. It is His temple. I have hiked in forest stands of giant redwoods and sequoias. I felt God’s presence in those massive natural cathedrals as birds sang God’s praise. The peace, the beauty and the sacredness are simply overwhelming. But even such massive natural temples have to undergo regular infernos of forest fires to clear the underbrush and remove dead debris to make room for new growth and life.
I have looked up the sky at night and marveled at the beauty of the stars. I amaze at their numbers, twinkling endlessly and contrasted that with the soft romantic glow of the moon. I gaze at them and I swear I could hear them singing a hymn to their Creator. The universe is yet another of God’s temples. And yet, these celestial gems and diamonds are the result of massive cosmic cataclysms and we and everything on earth are but star shit. Even the things we treasure on earth, like gold and silver, are but melted dust and forged in volcanic fires in the bowels of the earth.
I look at the human heart and I rejoice at how vibrantly it beats for love. I feel immense joy and intense happiness. It is in my heart that I feel these noble emotions. And I say life is wonderful and worth the living. It is also in my heart that I feel pain and sorrow. Often, regularly, my God break my heart to pieces just so He and I could put it back together using the gold of His grace and mercy as the miraculous glue. And my heart comes out stronger, better and more beautiful than ever. A work of Kintsukuroi becomes a worthy temple where my God may dwell.
God walks our land, devastated by a typhoon. But God does not create junk nor does He make things a mess. The worms are work. The furnaces are afire. The cleaning and the clearing up continue. I wait patiently to see what God is busy making and creating in our lives.
When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, ‘As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down. . . .’
‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven. . . .’
‘But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls.’
Luke 21:5-6,12-19