Not many people travel to the far northern parts of Canada, Greenland and the Yukon where forests suddenly end and tundra and ice begin. This area is cold and uninviting to all except the most adventuresome. Still, it is part of our world and God’s wonderful creation. To us it is a strange and mysterious region, but to Him it is a place of purpose for some forms of life that are always under His watchful care.
Trees in this forest border are mostly small and weather-beaten, some barely rising above ground level, but they provide homes for hardy birds, animals and insects. Birds such as blue jays, grouse, owls, ptarmigan and others thrive on the insects, berries and seeds of the tundra. Here, too, squirrels, martens and foxes can be found. Other animals such as moose, caribou and musk oxen prefer open tundra where there is good grazing, but they return to the shelter of the trees in winter.
Tundra in most places is covered with brush and grass, but just a few feet down the ground is frozen hard, which restrains trees from growing very large. To the eye, this tundra appears as endless as the ocean—a lonely and rather frightening place. Its black, sticky soil, however, supports dense growth of low shrubs, moss, lichens and many kinds of berry bushes.
In late summer this great expanse exhibits beautiful colors. Blueberries, bilberries and others, along with the leaves of their bushes, change to red, purple, blue and other colors, and the entire landscape is changed into a thing of beauty. At the same time birch, willow and aspen trees at the tundra’s edge add lovely yellows, reds and browns. Over it all at night an added spectacle sweeps the sky—the amazing northern lights shimmering across the whole expanse, piercing the darkness with their striking forms and colors. Northern lights are seen frequently in far northern Canada, but in more recent years, southern Canada and northern United States see them occasionally.
However, when we remember that the Bible says of the Creator, “For Thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:1111Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. (Revelation 4:11)), we see that these beauties are not wasted. The One who has included it in His creation has great pleasure in looking on it.
Don’t you wish you could see all this? We may never see anything like it on earth. But for those who love the Lord Jesus Christ and know Him as their Savior, there is a promise that we will see and be part of the glories of heaven itself, which surpass the grandest of all earthly beauty. Will you be included with those who will enjoy those wonders for all eternity in the presence of the Savior who loves them and gave His life for them?
ML-05/21/2017