Paved Paradise

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP - no, it's not the obnoxious sound of my alarm clock at 7am, it's the obnoxious sound of a bulldozer backing up at 7am. At this point it might as well back right into my bedroom and take me out - or at least that's how I feel about it at that moment.

When we decided to sell our first house and find another, the one thing I knew I wanted most was to be closer to nature. I would much rather look at something God-made than man-made. So when we bought the house we now live in, we chose it because of the beautiful, private, unobstructed view of nothing but hills and tree - a true rarity in this overly developed part of Texas. It's a ridge that overlooks Corp of Engineers land backing up to a Lake. It's home to several species of wild life. Often at night, we've fallen asleep to the hooting of a white barn owl and been awaken by the loud howling of a pack of coyotes. Many a day I've watched the graceful cranes fly out over the house and settle over in the pond. The big open sky has make for the most magnificent sunsets. It's a restful, peaceful place. Or at least it was.

As the bulldozers continue taking down trees and flattening the land just beyond the Corp land to make more homes, I can't help but feel indignant. Money doesn't grow on trees, I guess that's why they tore them down...so the new home owners can pay a premium for tiny new ones. Soon there will be a long row of homes, stacked together like sardines bordering our view.

So where there once was graceful old trees that had probably been there since the pioneers settled the land, there is now nothing but mountains of mulch. Don't get me wrong, I'm no tree-hugger. I would never have staged a "sit-in" in one of those trees and stayed there until they chop me down with it, but I do have respect for what God took the time and care to create.

I'm the kind that has a hard time throwing out a poinsettia after Christmas. It's not so much that I feel sorry for the plant, it's that I know that the loving hand of the Creator made an investment in that seemingly worthless little display of creativity.

The Bible says that not even a sparrow falls that God doesn't take notice. God called man to use the earth wisely, to take care of it and to respect it, not destroy it. That being said, let me also state that while God probably understands my heart on this matter, it doesn't mean He doesn't want to change it. Yes, while there is value in His creation, He also wants me to see that this is not my home. I shouldn't get too comfortable because I'm just passing through. All this will soon pass way and any fretting done on my part is in vain.

So as I now sit watching the dirt piles being moved around like chess pieces, instead of daydreaming about pelleting the construction trucks with my BB gun, I raise my white flag in a show of solidarity. Besides at my heavenly home, the view will be mind-blowing and there will be no bulldozers...can't wait!