Coco Calling No.255 - Going Back to the Garden of Eden

One of the very special things about Costa Rica which sets it apart from other countries, is that the majority of its humans live in harmony with their natural surroundings. (Yes, there are some intelligent humans on this planet after all). There is barely any hunting or shooting which means that wild creatures have become very tame, and the rainforests are allowed to thrive and flourish without being felled. Parrots are free to be parrots, and sloths are allowed to be sloths.  And when you go there, it’s almost like catching a little glimpse of how the original Garden of Eden must have been.

Of course, the natural world itself is far from being perfect; the predator–prey scenario still plays out every single day, so that many creatures exist on the edge of their nerves, and that can be hard to understand. But even in its imperfect state, the beauty of Costa Rica offers a glimpse of the perfection that awaits us all in Heaven. Because if you stop and take time to look closely, you’ll realise that the beauty of the natural world is far more than some kind of evolutionary fluke. It is incredible beyond words, and the handywork of a Master Creator. Which is exactly what I think every time I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror!

“I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in.”         

(George Washington Carver: [1864 – 1943]: American agricultural scientist and inventor, who being of Afro-Caribbean heritage, made good after being born into slavery)

“Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God’s handwriting.”                                                                             

(Ralph Waldo Emerson: [1803 – 1882]: American church minister, writer and philosopher)

“Every rustling leaf whispers God’s name.”                                              

(N.T. Wright: [1948 – present]: English Anglican Bishop, author, and New Testament Scholar)

“We may speak about a place where there are no tears, no death, no fear, no night; but those are just the benefits of Heaven. The beauty of Heaven is seeing God.”                                                                        

(Max Lucado: [1955 – present]: American author and pastor)

“But ask the animals and they will teach you, 

or the birds of the air, and they will tell you;   

or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,                            

or let the fish of the sea inform you.                

Which of these does not know                                                            

that the hand of the Lord has done this?                   

In his hand is the life of every creature      

and the breath of all mankind.” 

(Job 12: 7-10)