Secret Lessons of the Tundra

This land looks barren and devoid of God's creative touch. There is not a single tree within hundreds of miles. It seems to be as lifeless as it is flat. But oh, His beauty is here! With my camera in hand, crouching as close to the ground as I could, I searched intently for the wonders which I knew were hidden from the casual glance. What treasures indeed I discovered! They opened before my eyes in such splendor. I want you to see where I found the Lord's beauty. Let me show you that the tundra is a land of wonders.

These lovely purple flowers were so very small that I nearly missed them. I wish I knew their name. Notice the fuzzy underwear God gave them! (giggle) Fluffy insulation is something I frequently observe in Arctic flowers. This lonely little group was all that I found growing in the area. They remind me of the rarity which virtuous young ladies are today. So many Christian girls are barely getting by -- they conform to dress standards but because they have not made modesty a matter of the heart, they step as close to the edge as they dare. They may consistently do their part in church but the power and the sweetness of the Holy Spirit does not flow through them. Like these flowers, girls with a real hope to lift up Jesus through their lives are few.

This mushroom is so tiny, probably the size of my thumb, and yet it looks sturdy and well-suited to the harshness of the Arctic. I have learned that the Lord of the harvest suits His laborers for the fields in which He places them. I like to observe the different personalities of missionaries, their wives and their families. Some are refined and sophisticated and are serving in cities with thousands of lost, dying souls. Others are more down-to-earth sort of folks with a simple way of preaching the Word, faithfully doing their part in a isolated locale. Some missionary families have health needs and live in a place where medical help and other necessities are always available. If others are not already suited for a specific work, then the Lord conditions them gradually so that their situation becomes a way of life to them. Our Lord is gracious and so wise! Why do we have the idea that He will send us to a place where we will be miserable, a place where we could never, ever fit in? Maybe the reason for our not adapting is because we refuse to accept and submit to His most perfect will. Oh, this little mushroom teaches me such a remarkable lesson. The Lord places us where will can best glorify Him. 

 

These little guys truly wonder me! I first discovered them during last year's summer and captured them with my old camera (see here). At first glance and from afar, they look like a red carpet of moss. My camera greatly magnified them, making them look much larger than they are. Fellow laborer, remember, though "the place you're called to labor Seems so small, and little known, It is great if God is in it, And He'll not forsake His own"!

 

These colors are so bright! Reminds me of Christmas. (Only three more months! =D)

Cotton grass grows in abundance all over the tundra. I'm guessing that the cotton falls away from the plant in the fall-time. Here I found a snowy bed of softness. Isn't it pretty? "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." (Isa. 1:18)

Another fluffy plant. It looks so interesting.

This photo and the one below demonstrate our bright fall-time colors. These colors are certainly awe-inspiring, though not to the extent of the display of the same colors in New England states. =)

I LOVE this picture! Doesn't it look like something from the depths of the ocean? It is amazing how the Lord made lichen and corral look so much alike in appearance! The wee grasses look like they're swaying in the water. And the colors are just so bright! Isn't it a wonder! Our Lord is the God of wonders!

These flowers are very similar to mountain avens. Are they not so very lovely?

These are the sweetest, most dainty little flowers I have ever seen. My sister, who was "hunting" the tundra with me, told me she saw some  tiny purple flowers. It took us several minutes to find them again because they were so very small. I went "snap-happy" at the sight of them. (chuckle) The are so pretty!

The water drops adorning these little blossoms made them that much more special.

Ladies, have you ever contemplated the modesty of a flower?

Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning...

But let it be the hidden man of the heart,

in that which is not corruptible, 

even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, 

which is in the sight of God of great price.  

{ I Peter 3:3-4 }

Whoa! What is that? (shudder) Kind of evil-looking, isn't it?

Black mushrooms. Definitely poisonous, from all appearances.

More fall colors

Oh, wow! I can't figure out what this is! It looks so completely different from anything else I have seen.  A pine cone? Growing out of a ball of fuzz? I wish I would have taken more pictures of this... thing from different angles.

Cranberries... they make divine jam.

This is a tree. See, the leaves are growing out of WOOD! Actually, it is a stunted bush -- a willow, as we call them up here.

Caribou take a likin' to lichen. That was quite evident from the (ahem!) digested lichen I saw lying about.

A plant slowly being killed by the innocent little ice crystals covering it. "To every thing there is a season." There is "a time to be born and a time to die... The LORD hath made everything beautiful in His time." (Ecc. 3:1-2, 11) The verdant center of this leaf will give way to ochre and vermilion, then its flaming glory will fade, and finally it will wither. But, praise God, we are "born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." (I Pet 1:23)

I spied these daisies as we were driving down the dirt roads on the outskirts of our village. We spent some time at the shore of the lagoon to do some target shooting and take some pictures. As we drove back home, I insisted that we stop so I could get a photo of them. The delight I had over these daisies (my favorite flower) exceeded my happiness over all the other wonders I saw that day. I never dreamed God had planted daisies in such an extreme place! Never! They grow out of stony soil, no less. And they were taller than any other flowers I have ever seen growing on the tundra. I was filled with amazement. What strong, enduring flowers.

These daisies are not delicate and graceful like their sisters which grow in the south. God gave them strong, tough stems that keep them upright in the furious gusts of wind. If we could see their roots, I am sure they would be tightly entwined around the rocks they grow in. We need to bloom where the Lord has planted us. The Lord knows what is best for us. In His wisdom, He has prepared and conditioned us for the environment where He has chosen to place us. The wind may seem unbearable as it threatens to tear our very roots from the earth. We may barely cling to life. Our service may seem so futile, so completely unknown. But the One who created and called us knows our work and labor of love. He sees us, has compassion on us, and promises, "as thy days, so shall thy strength be." (Deut. 33:25) We can bring wonderful glory to our Savior by blooming in beautiful courage, growing and thriving wherever He has chosen to plant us.

Now we know the secret lessons of the tundra. It is indeed a harsh, unforgiving land, but its own gifts of beauty are always there, barely hidden from the human eyes. They very same is true in the most difficult trials of our lives. He makes beauty out of barrenness.

To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, 

to give unto them beauty for ashes, 

the oil of joy for mourning, 

the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; 

that they might be called trees of righteousness, 

the planting of the LORD, 

that he might be glorified. 

{ Isaiah 61:3 }