I stopped by a large Metro-Park in the Columbus area. I needed a break from driving and decided to do some walking in the wooded area.

            The fall sunshine was warm. The leaves were falling everywhere. There was solitude in the air and I felt peace returning to my core when suddenly…

            …a loud and on-going noise interrupted my reflection. The sound was coming from the picnic area near the parking lot. What could possibly be creating such a racket? What machinery or vehicle would be that loud?

            Then, as I neared the opening, I spied them: leaf blowers. Not the hand-held leaf blowers that people use around their yards. No, these were the large kind that attach to riding lawn mowers. The drivers of these machines were blowing away downed leaves IN THE MIDDLE OF A FOREST!

            Granted, the area was somewhat grassy; it was a picnic area. But still, I was offended that my quiet had been disrupted. And I truly doubted the wisdom of cleaning up leaves in the woods, not to mention that these workers would never finish the task.

            God gives us a beautiful blanket of leaves to cover the ground for the winter. Yet, we insist on improving on God’s work. But maybe, just maybe, it is not an improvement.

“And over all these, put on love, that is, the bond of perfection.”

Colossians 3:14