I have always enjoyed going to zoos. While I was attending graduate school in Carbondale, Illinois, I would often take one Saturday a month to go explore the St. Louis Zoo. When I moved to Evansville, Indiana, I was excited to discover that Evansville had a zoo of its own – Mesker Zoo. Although its been a year since I have been to either zoo, they both have provided me with some fond memories, great pictures, and even some Biblical based application.
Both the St. Louis Zoo and Mesker Zoo have taken painstaking efforts and staggering costs to create bio-zones capable of supporting and providing stability to the various species of animals on display. For the animals from the African savannah, they have imported grasses and shrubs that are able to withstand the midwestern winters. For the tropical birds, they have even created an enclosed environment complete with waterfalls, flora, and fruits similar to what exists in the various jungles from around the word. At the St. Louis Zoo, they have created an entire bio-dome to support its collection of butterflies year round. Both zoos, as do others across our nation, not only want to provide the best display possible but also want to provide the best environment possible to support their animals.
Thinking about how much these zoos spend trying to create the best environment possible to support these animals made me think about our “habitats” as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. Does our home reflect our fleshly nature or does it reflect our future and Heavenly home? I do not mean this to be a condemnation of anyone’s home decor, as I know I struggle from this very issue. Within my living room and dining area, there is an odd display of cat figurines, space and sci-fi figurines, and Christian themed items throughout. The question that we all must ask is if our home supports and creates an environment favorable for spiritual growth? After all, Jesus did teach us that No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (Matthew 6:24).
A further example is the fish tank I have in my dining room area.
Roughly once every six weeks, my wife and I break it completely down; the plants and rocks are removed and cleaned, the filters are completely rinsed out, and all placed back in. Just as with the zoos, we spend time replacing up to 2/3 of the water with clean water that has been treated to match the consistency of an unpolluted freshwater stream. Maintaining a fish tank is not easy nor is it cheap. Right now, we only have two fish in our tank, but we still clean it as if we had more. As I think about our own ten gallon fish tank, I wonder what would happen if we were as diligent in our spiritual housekeeping as we are with the fishtank!
I am sure that there are some movies and music we have in our house that would not stand as rigorous of a cleaning as our fishtank did! Even now I am reminded of the verse, I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me (Psalms 101:3). Oh, if we would spend as much time and consideration of the water we put into the fishtank on what we bring into our home for entertainment.
