Amphibious Faith

A little over a decade ago I found myself up to my shins in water that was barely above freezing.  To most people this spot was just a swamp, or a glorified mud puddle at best.  To me it was heaven.  Cold, but divine.  I’ve been fascinated with the mystery of nature for as long as I can remember.  It seems the solace and wisdom provided by the wild has always been a comfort to me.  I often hear from God when I’m in these quiet places.  On this particular afternoon so many years ago, I had a revelation. 

As I held a little marbled salamander larva in my hand, I had a thought that connected my newly acquired faith at the time, to my long-acquainted love for the outdoors.  Marbled salamanders, like all amphibians, go through a complex life cycle.  These amazing animals will emerge from their underground haunts in early autumn, and collect en mass in breeding pools called ephemeral wetlands.  These temporary vernal pools provide all the requirements necessary for marbled salamanders and other amphibians to breed.  The females will guard their eggs until the cold rains begin to fill the pools.  As soon as the eggs are submerged under the rising rain water filling the pools, they begin to hatch.  Once the eggs begin to hatch and swim into the murky dark, the adults retreat back to their underground homes.

The revelation I had while holding that new larval salamander was that just like amphibians, we as believers also go through a period of metamorphosis once we are introduced to that living water.  2 Corinthians 5:17 says “therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone and the new has come.”  If you look at where the salamander begins their journey and where they end up you would see that what appears to be a whole new creature. 

The larval form of this salamander has gills and swims in the water eating algae, whereas the adults live on land, breathing air from their lungs while eating invertebrates.  This doesn’t happen overnight.  Our walk with God, and transformation as believers in Christ, takes time and is a “long obedience in the same direction” to quote Eugene Peterson. 

Just like the salamander, you don’t have to have it all figured out right away.  Our faith is a process, and the Lord has established conditions and environments for us to grow.  Sometimes growth looks like a swamp in a low spot in the woods.  Before you get discouraged, remember that swamps are teeming with life, if only you know where to look.  Those transitional moments, when things seem the murkiest, are likely the most robust periods of our lives.  Those instants of growth and adversity are often the memories we can look back and remember how our faith sustained us.  This cycle of perpetual growth and metamorphosis follows us throughout our journey of faith. 

I don’t find it odd that I had this “revelation” while in the awe of nature.  Jesus himself taught primarily in nature-based parables outdoors.  There’s something there.  I believe to truly commune with the creative God, we ought to get outside and see what He’s made.  Whether you believe things were created in an instant, or evolved over time, they had a definite beginning moment.  The awesomeness of nature is undeniable.  I’ve rarely been moved to tears in the stuffy confines of a church built by bricks and wood, but I’ve wept over gnats swarming on a marsh at sunset.  The unexpected beauty of complex creation and the symphony of their simple existence struck me as heavenly.  

It’s hard to argue theology when moments outdoors often take away the words to describe their brilliance.  I think Jesus was on to something.  If I could make a guess, I’d say He knew that if we only looked to His Father’s creation, we could always find Him.  Perhaps when he’d preach about fish to a fisherman or seeds to an agrarian culture, the next time they engaged with their nets or harvested their crop, they’d think of God.  

My hope with my writings is that whether we talk about complex doctrine or theology, you see the brilliance in the simplicity of Jesus’ message.  You were created, you are loved, and you are worthy because He loves you.  Just like the larval salamander in the vernal pool, you may have a long way to go before you’re fully formed, so embrace the changes and grow where you’re at.   See you in the swamp!

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Do Good Hack: 

Take a walk in the woods and see how many species of plants or animals you notice.  How are they interacting with one another?  What can we learn from what God has created?  What do you hear when you remove yourself from the distractions of our busy world?  Go somewhere that inspires awe, and then reflect on why exactly you’re experiencing this moment.  Likely there won’t be words at first, but try anyway.   

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*This article in a shorter form was first published in the Winston-Salem First “Do Good Journal”

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For more information on marbled salamanders check out our recent video: 

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To see more devotions blending God’s word and lessons from the wild check out my book “Whispers in the Woods”

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