The Fantastic Fungus
I went on a field trip a few years ago with my daughter's kindergarten class. We visited the farm of an environmental stewardship organization to see how the residents of the farm worked and lived together sustainably to care for the earth. It was a beautiful place and I loved their message that genuine awe and wonder at God's creation has a natural byproduct of wanting to care for it and treat it unselfishly.
It had been a rainy and wet week but we had a somewhat dry afternoon...perfect for a "Fall Walk" through the forested area of the farm. We had two tour guides, a long time resident of the farm - a sweet lady named Ruth* - and a young student volunteer from a nearby college who was new to the farm but passionate about the environment. They deftly pointed out the beauty of God's creation and the kids soaked it all in as we marched along the boardwalk path.
We took note of different kinds of fall leaves, squealed over slugs, hunted for insects in tree bark and collected seeds of all shapes and sizes. At one point the guide stopped all the children on the boardwalk to show them something really spectacular. It was a fungus, she explained, a very special fungus indeed. We took her word for it. Ruth told the children how the farm residents had been coming out to the forest every day for the past 2 weeks to watch and marvel over the growth of this fungus. The kids looked only mildly impressed...I'm not necessarily a mushroom lover and in my opinion the giant banana slug was much more interesting, but I admired her awe in the fungus and did my best to ooh and aah and encouraged the children in my group to do the same.
After sufficient oohing and aahing the tour continued and the kids continued their trek up the damp forest boardwalk. My daughter and I brought up the rear of the line of students along with the student volunteer and all the parent helpers marching along behind us. As my sweet daughter approached the fungus growing mid-boardwalk it happened. Her rainboot slipped on the damp wood and suddenly there she was; flat on her back where once grew the most spectacular fungus.
For a second I panicked and looked around. The parent volunteers following us were busy chatting and while a few saw my daughter fall, few knew what lay beneath her. Up ahead, Ruth and the rest of the children were oblivious to the carnage behind them. I gingerly helped her up and without even asking her if she was okay I held my breath to survey the fungal damage.
And damaged it was. The glorious fungus was no more. Utterly wiped out in one fell swoop of a pink flowered rainboot. One minute it had been the object of much applause and the next I could not even tell the exact spot on the boardwalk where it should have been.
As I looked up I came face to face with the young college volunteer. I giggled nervously and asked him the most important question in that moment: had all the groups of students already done this tour or would Ruth be making this trek once more today and see - make that not see - her prized fungus? He assured me that we were the final group, no more fungus walks would be taken that day. While I was breathing an inner sigh of relief that our indiscretion would not be found out by Ruth at least for the moment, seeing the look on the young man's face assured me that our school might never again be invited to partake in the Fall Walk field trip at this farm.
And then I did what I do best in stressful situations. After the young volunteer mournfully left the scene of the accident I dissolved into fits of laughter. Tears streaming down my face, I urged along my daughter who was also crying, about what I'm not sure, perhaps her involvement in the wrongful death of the fungus, perhaps in a banged up knee due to her fall. I couldn't stop laughing for the rest of the field trip and was relieved to get into my truck and drive back to the school. I kept checking my rearview mirror where I half expected to see the young college volunteer chasing my vehicle down the driveway with Ruth in tow yelling, "Her! There she goes! That's the fungus killer!"
But our exit was less dramatic and while I re-told the hilarious story to every captive audience I could find that week, there was no recourse for our part in the misfortunate demise of the fantastic fungus.
I couldn't help think of that fungus as I read from Psalm 103 this morning: The life of the mortal is like grass, it flourishes like a flower of the field....
Or perhaps like a fungus of the forest. (Hang in there with me, I promise this is going somewhere.) The psalmist goes on:
...the wind blows over it and it is gone. And its place remembers it no more...
As glorious as the fungus was, I couldn't even find it's place in the peaty soil once the said boot had "blown over." And as for the soil...it didn't even notice that the life it once held had been cut short. Its life was fleeting. Cut short perhaps, but fleeting in the big picture anyway.
A bit like the life of the mortal I suppose? The secular worldview makes much of mankind and our accomplishments and our own "glory." We boast of achievements and strength, goals and greatness. Yet the truth is, we are but a breath; the wind blows over it and it is gone.
This funny story would end on a pretty somber and depressing note if the Psalmist didn't go on in chapter 103 to point out what it is we ought to understand in light of the flourishing and vanishing of human life. This is a psalm all about God...about His glory. The magnificence of the Creator is far greater than that even of His very good creation. We humans, are a very glorious thing indeed...created to image the God of the Universe and be in intimate friendship with Him. What a trip! Yet our earthly life and its glory is but a breath...
BUT from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's LOVE is with those who fear Him, and his righteousness with their children's children.
The glory of man is fleeting. To live for it will always bring disappointment because it cannot and will not last. But the glory of God in His great love is boundless, endless...it cannot be wiped out and you need not worry that it will ever fail. He has set this love upon you - fungus that you are - and He rejoices over you much like sweet Ruth. All because He Himself is the essence of unfailing love...it is the very core of His being and the natural byproduct of His nature. This love has the power to transform us from mortal to spiritual; becoming those who live not for the fleeting glories of earth but for something bigger and more satisfying; life that is truly life.
And that is a more glorious glory indeed.
Praise the Lord Oh my soul.
* You better believe I changed Ruth's name...perhaps to protect myself more than her!
It had been a rainy and wet week but we had a somewhat dry afternoon...perfect for a "Fall Walk" through the forested area of the farm. We had two tour guides, a long time resident of the farm - a sweet lady named Ruth* - and a young student volunteer from a nearby college who was new to the farm but passionate about the environment. They deftly pointed out the beauty of God's creation and the kids soaked it all in as we marched along the boardwalk path.
We took note of different kinds of fall leaves, squealed over slugs, hunted for insects in tree bark and collected seeds of all shapes and sizes. At one point the guide stopped all the children on the boardwalk to show them something really spectacular. It was a fungus, she explained, a very special fungus indeed. We took her word for it. Ruth told the children how the farm residents had been coming out to the forest every day for the past 2 weeks to watch and marvel over the growth of this fungus. The kids looked only mildly impressed...I'm not necessarily a mushroom lover and in my opinion the giant banana slug was much more interesting, but I admired her awe in the fungus and did my best to ooh and aah and encouraged the children in my group to do the same.
After sufficient oohing and aahing the tour continued and the kids continued their trek up the damp forest boardwalk. My daughter and I brought up the rear of the line of students along with the student volunteer and all the parent helpers marching along behind us. As my sweet daughter approached the fungus growing mid-boardwalk it happened. Her rainboot slipped on the damp wood and suddenly there she was; flat on her back where once grew the most spectacular fungus.
For a second I panicked and looked around. The parent volunteers following us were busy chatting and while a few saw my daughter fall, few knew what lay beneath her. Up ahead, Ruth and the rest of the children were oblivious to the carnage behind them. I gingerly helped her up and without even asking her if she was okay I held my breath to survey the fungal damage.
And damaged it was. The glorious fungus was no more. Utterly wiped out in one fell swoop of a pink flowered rainboot. One minute it had been the object of much applause and the next I could not even tell the exact spot on the boardwalk where it should have been.
As I looked up I came face to face with the young college volunteer. I giggled nervously and asked him the most important question in that moment: had all the groups of students already done this tour or would Ruth be making this trek once more today and see - make that not see - her prized fungus? He assured me that we were the final group, no more fungus walks would be taken that day. While I was breathing an inner sigh of relief that our indiscretion would not be found out by Ruth at least for the moment, seeing the look on the young man's face assured me that our school might never again be invited to partake in the Fall Walk field trip at this farm.
And then I did what I do best in stressful situations. After the young volunteer mournfully left the scene of the accident I dissolved into fits of laughter. Tears streaming down my face, I urged along my daughter who was also crying, about what I'm not sure, perhaps her involvement in the wrongful death of the fungus, perhaps in a banged up knee due to her fall. I couldn't stop laughing for the rest of the field trip and was relieved to get into my truck and drive back to the school. I kept checking my rearview mirror where I half expected to see the young college volunteer chasing my vehicle down the driveway with Ruth in tow yelling, "Her! There she goes! That's the fungus killer!"
But our exit was less dramatic and while I re-told the hilarious story to every captive audience I could find that week, there was no recourse for our part in the misfortunate demise of the fantastic fungus.
I couldn't help think of that fungus as I read from Psalm 103 this morning: The life of the mortal is like grass, it flourishes like a flower of the field....
Or perhaps like a fungus of the forest. (Hang in there with me, I promise this is going somewhere.) The psalmist goes on:
...the wind blows over it and it is gone. And its place remembers it no more...
As glorious as the fungus was, I couldn't even find it's place in the peaty soil once the said boot had "blown over." And as for the soil...it didn't even notice that the life it once held had been cut short. Its life was fleeting. Cut short perhaps, but fleeting in the big picture anyway.
A bit like the life of the mortal I suppose? The secular worldview makes much of mankind and our accomplishments and our own "glory." We boast of achievements and strength, goals and greatness. Yet the truth is, we are but a breath; the wind blows over it and it is gone.
This funny story would end on a pretty somber and depressing note if the Psalmist didn't go on in chapter 103 to point out what it is we ought to understand in light of the flourishing and vanishing of human life. This is a psalm all about God...about His glory. The magnificence of the Creator is far greater than that even of His very good creation. We humans, are a very glorious thing indeed...created to image the God of the Universe and be in intimate friendship with Him. What a trip! Yet our earthly life and its glory is but a breath...
BUT from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's LOVE is with those who fear Him, and his righteousness with their children's children.
The glory of man is fleeting. To live for it will always bring disappointment because it cannot and will not last. But the glory of God in His great love is boundless, endless...it cannot be wiped out and you need not worry that it will ever fail. He has set this love upon you - fungus that you are - and He rejoices over you much like sweet Ruth. All because He Himself is the essence of unfailing love...it is the very core of His being and the natural byproduct of His nature. This love has the power to transform us from mortal to spiritual; becoming those who live not for the fleeting glories of earth but for something bigger and more satisfying; life that is truly life.
And that is a more glorious glory indeed.
Praise the Lord Oh my soul.
* You better believe I changed Ruth's name...perhaps to protect myself more than her!
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