Earth Groans

When I turn on the news, I am hit with an ever present reminder that things are not getting better in this world but are progressively getting worse. From our nation to the nations around the world, changes are happening so rapidly that it often leaves me in wonder that we are still here. As I watched the news yesterday, I was reminded of something I had written years ago. I was imagining what the earth itself must feel and how it felt before sin entered the world.

This earth is moaning, groaning, and aching at the very center of her core. She is convulsing and shaking like a living creature in pain, suffering at the thought of her own demise. She knows it will happen because she remembers the days of her perfection. In fact, the earth thinks back with fond memories as she remembers the days of creation. She smiles as she remembers her delight when the first rays of light subtly stretched over her eastern edge, and for the first time she saw what a beautiful creation she truly was. As each created thing was lovingly placed on her sphere by the gentle yet powerful words of the all encompassing Creator, she giggled and smiled and turned herself around to see how each item became her. She openly laughed as she turned and found the waves crashing onto their shores. She playfully joined in a game of tug-of-war with the moon over her tides. When God sat upon the circle of the earth, she breathed a sigh of relief under the power of His greatness. And then one day she shuttered as some unexplainable evil sense crawled along her surface. She had never felt such a tremendously horrible sensation before and could detect with awful ease the exact spot of its presence. Sudden horror filled the earth as she realized that one of the treasured creations was dangerously near this evil existence. Earth trembled as she heard the voice of evil speak to the treasure in sweetly deceptive tones about becoming as wise as the All-Wise, All- Knowing, Wonderful Creator. Earth shuttered as the treasured gift to Man stretched out her slender arm , grasped the forbidden fruit, lifted it to her lips, and bit. The sound of Eve's teeth biting into the morsel of instant but temporary delight echoed in the ears of Earth. She tried to call out, to scream, to shake, but she couldn't. Suddenly, she began to feel a strange sensation from the center of her core to the top of her crust. She began to feel old, to feel as though she was slowly dying. It was a feeling that we shall never know, to have once been perfect without flaw or fault and then to be instantly corrupted. She felt so ashamed when she felt her Almighty God step foot on her for His daily walk. Now, instead of beautiful vegetation there were also destructive weeds. Instead of the playful game of chase the animals used to play, there were now chases to the death. She began to moan and cry, shake and shutter. It will progressively get worse until she trembles for the last time and splits herself apart in agony over what mankind has chosen out of willful disobedience.