Q: What is the chief end of man?
A: Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” – 1 Corinthians 10:31

This morning’s post may look like it is all about playing golf… but it’s not! What I am really writing about is a theme I have grown into appreciating more and more over time, the idea of how good it can be when there is partnership – or collaboration – between people and God.

The partnership is there even when the human side of the equation does not accept it, or denies the existence of God. God is God, regardless; God is not a product of our belief, we are a product of God’s.

Monday I enjoyed the privilege of bringing some friends out to play the N.C. State course in Raleigh; we were representing the Lonnie Poole Family Foundation. The day was hot, yes, but the golf course was spectacular, a beautiful example of the coming together of God’s amazing creation and the best in landscape architecture.

This is also true in places such as (and I have linked these in case you want to see some photographs) Duke Gardens, the Arboretum, and North Carolina Botanical Gardens.

I am a huge fan of actual wilderness, but even out in the middle of nowhere accessibility typically requires the introduction of pathways – like The Appalachian Trail – and the human element is in play.

I guess what I am saying is that we – as “the human element” – are not on this Good Earth by chance or happenstance, we are an intentional part of the created order. And while we were not put here to live outside of nature and leave it alone to run its own course, we were most certainly not introduced in order to despoil it.

So, yes, God does intend for us to landscape and design and enjoy and harvest. I rejoice when I see this done with care.

All of our work has such amazing potential when we recognize that we are in partnership with God. But today we stand at a critical moment in ecological history, and we dare not forget that our mandate is not only to “enjoy” but also to “glorify” – DEREK