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The Fruits of Creation

Author Unknown

The created universe is wonderful gift from the Lord to each one of us. Nature from the littlest things to the greatest is a form of His Infinite giving. The word is like one grand harvest, to which we are invited, so that we may enjoy the fruits of it. For our bodies, for our minds, and for our eternal spirits, the Lord has fashioned a world of order and beauty in which every fruit is a blessing to us, formed with seed within itself so that it shall be the means to lead to further blessings. Creation is like giant “fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself” (Genesis 1:11).

For our bodies the gifts of the world are unlimited. Our surroundings are a rich storehouse filled to overflowing with gifts from the Lord, for which to be thankful. Think a minute about the vegetable kingdom. The grass carpets lawns and fields; it holds the soil in place, provides pastures for horses, cows, and sheep, and looks so beautiful. At harvest time, the golden grain bends under the weight of its fruit. Some plants dig into the soil for food and moisture and develop roots which we eat such as beets, carrots and potatoes. Other plants reach up for air and sunlight, growing wholesome leaves such as lettuce, or stalks like corn and sugar cane. Other plants reach out to us in beauty like daffodils and violets, roses and gardenias—the lilies of the field which surpass all man-made splendor and glory. Flowers give our minds a fragrant glimpse of heaven. Then there are bushes full of berries, and vines bent low with purple grapes. And finally, at the top of the plant kingdom, we have trees, which have so many uses. Their thick foliage gives us shade. We use their wood for building and burning to keep us warm. We use their bark for cork and spices, their sap for sugar. And their fruit—olives and figs, dates and pomegranates, apples, peaches, and pears—are all designed to satisfy our sight, smell, and taste and to provide us with food, energy and life.

What’s more, the Lord’s way of doing things is evident in the vegetable kingdom. For He wills to give to us ever more abundantly. The Lord endowed plants with some of His own qualities, so that we may see Him in His creation. There is no end to the giving of the Lord. Consequently, each plant yields fruit whose seed is in itself. For the very fruit we eat contains many, many seeds for future plants and fruit. In this way the Lord has endowed each plant with His own qualities of infinite giving—with seeds and fruit and new seeds and fruit stretching into infinity.

But the Lord desires to give things not only to our bodies, but to our minds and spirits as well. For this reason He has ordained that we can learn about the plants we eat. We can, as it were, chew over in our minds what we learn and discover the order and truth of all created things. Our minds can delve into nature and come to understand the order of growth and many other wonderful knowledges about the plant kingdom. These knowledges are like soil in which eternal truths can germinate and grow in our minds. We can come to understand how seeds develop, step by step, to become full-grown plants, producing roots, stems, branches, leaves, blossoms, and finally, the fruit in which new seed lies hidden. We can learn how, in marvelous ways, plants use their food and sunlight and transform the simple chemicals of the earth into complex leaves, and stalks and fruits. Such knowledges can prepare us to understand order itself, the Lord’s order in creation, and consequently, the Lord Himself.
When we come to see the Lord in His creation, then our minds can be filled with appreciation and gratitude for all the things He does for us everyday. The fruit of genuine thankfulness can ripen in us, to nourish and delight our souls. And this fruit has seeds which lead to eternal growth. For when we think of the Lord in this way, when our hearts are filled with grateful thanks, He can be present with us as the Sun of Heaven, causing spiritual growth that can go on to all eternity. The Lord can work the miracle of creation in us, saying, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth” (Genesis 1:11). And it can be so!

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