Hey Bro, Text Me a Sunrise

By: Dr. Greg Quakenbush, Geissler Corp., & Dr. Doug Ford, Production Animal Consultation

On the nights I get home before bedtime, my wife Jan and I will try to catch the 10 o’clock news before bed. I’ve noticed broadcasters will show pictures of beautiful fall mountain colors, peaceful streams, majestic sunrises, and painted sunsets.

Over time, it has dawned on me that there are many people who have never encountered God’s creations on a personal level. (This may be why the hunters from Denver all lose their minds when they show up in our neighborhood.) Traditional rural people are fortunate; we seldom miss a sunrise or sunset, and are truly graced by everything in between. And for dessert, we get to experience billions of stars and the man in the moon.

This October morning is no exception. The air is crisp and the eastern sky is painted with a brilliant collage of pink, red, and orange,splashed with a hint of yellow. As I drive the center of the gravel road, my mind wanders to a circle of partially picked corn to the south. I am drawn back in time to another cornfield, carrying my Montgomery Ward single shot 20 GA shotgun, with my dad and brother flanking either side of me. The anticipation and excitement of flushing rooster pheasants hasn’t changed after all of these years.

Every corner of God’s creation completes me. Like an old friend, I can’t wait to greet each season and spend a little quality time. Then all of a sudden, that friend vanishes and a new one appears. We are able to spend just enough time together and look forward to our next rendezvous.

I am compelled to be outside every day of the week, year in and year out. Nothing feels better than a warm Carhartt coat on a chilly morning, the feeling of ice in my moustache, or a warm fire on my frozen fingers and toes.

In life, I believe that God always somehow balances both sides of the equation. My addiction to the outdoors seems perfectly normal to me but last month I was informed by a close friend that I was surely misguided.

We always start palpating dairy heifers early morning to beat the heat. My friend doesn’t share my enthusiasm for daybreak. Most mornings he is quiet, subdued and conflicted by our early morning adventure; in short he is a little “grouchy”.

Trying to make light of his mood, I wanted to encourage him. I mentioned the most magnificent sunrise I had ever seen appearing 3 days prior. I described how it peaked over the horizon, built in intensity, and exploded over the eastern canvas.

The crescendo/decrescendo moment only lasted a few minutes and then it was gone, almost like life.

Throwing out the bait regarding the beautiful sunrise, I fully expected a positive change in his mood. To my surprise, he was not amused. “I am just not a morning person! Besides, you Baby Boomers do everything the hard way.”

As he caressed his iPhone and RFID scanner he continued, “We millennials work smarter, not harder. I get more done on my computer after I go home than you get done all day working your tail off. We’re the smartest generation ever!”

Being his mentor, I thought, “How can I turn this conversation around? What can I say to make my point?”

I reiterated, “But you missed the most magnificent sunrise I think I have ever seen.”

His response, with a smug air of confidence was, “No I didn’t.”

“YES, you did!”

“NO, I DIDN’T!”

“Really,” I said.

He quickly replied, “Really! It was posted all over Facebook, so there!”

I was shocked, disappointed, frustrated, but mostly thought, “You have to be kidding me!” His beloved WWII veteran grandfather would have said, “What are you even talking about?” I imagine he would have quickly surmised that our high tech culture is causing us to lose touch with reality.

So what it is about the “reality” of the outdoors and nature in general that calls to many of us? What is the attraction to creation that many of us who work in agriculture cannot seem to escape? What is it that others who never venture outside might be missing?

The answer that might surprise some of us is that nature (creation) is the canvas or megaphone by which the invisible God makes himself known to mankind. No speech is utilized or needed.

All that is needed is for people to turn off the computer, toss the cell phone, take a moment of silence, and look up and consider:

Psalm 19: 1-4 (NLT); “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world.”

The book of Romans (1:20 NASB) ups the ante a bit and states that: “Since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they (men & women) are without excuse.”

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