The Story of The Flood

Noah was a goodhearted and decent man, far better than most. He and his wife had three children: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

He lived in a time when the ruler of his nation and that of another kingdom were fighting over the control of trade routes, farm lands, and gold mines. Each day more soldiers marched off into battle, and every night the dead were brought back for burial. It seemed to Noah as if the entire world was at war.

Even in the town where he lived people were angry all of the time: they were angry with each other, and they hated the citizens of other towns, calling them "outsiders" and "foreigners." Everywhere Noah looked he saw violence and rage, suspicion and deceit. It made him very sad, for he knew that was not the way God intended for human beings to live.

In quiet prayer with the Holy One, Noah asked for peace and understanding between people, he prayed that they would learn to care for one another, and to take care of the earth.

Day after day the poor were forced to go down into the mines to dig for gold and precious jewels which the rich used as decorations. Greedy landowners dammed up rivers and diverted streams so their gardens would be beautiful, while the crops of those who lived downstream dried up and their livelihood was lost. The wealthy enjoyed sumptuous meals and the care of the finest physicians; while the poor often went hungry and died of untreated wounds. Widows and orphans were sold into slavery, and unjust judges looked the other way when the rich abused the poor and the weak.

God wept.

From his place of prayer, sheltering in the heart of the Beloved, Noah heard God's cries, and felt the tears as they began to flow. For the Beloved was saddened beyond words at the state of the beautiful world which had been created from purest love and joy.

No one listened, no one but Noah heard God's words of warning: "If they do not stop what they are doing — if they do not return to my teachings, they will destroy this beautiful planet! Why don't they care? Don't they see how precious life is? Don't they love Me?"

But the rich and powerful, who could have changed the world, paid attention only to how much gold they could accumulate, how many slaves they controlled, and how greatly they could impress one another with their recklessness. They cared for no one or nothing but their own comfort.

And God spoke to Noah, "The things they have done to my Creation have thrown things out of balance. I designed a place for each creature, a space in which each being could grow and thrive; there was food enough, space enough, and beauty enough for everyone. But now there are humans who have taken control of nature's bounty: they take for themselves and do not share with others; they poison the ground with their garbage, they throw trash into my clear and flowing waters.

"They have thrown off the perfect balance that I had established. Now when the seasons change and the rains come, the water will no longer seep into the earth, for it has been covered over with buildings and roads. The rains will come, as they always have, but their refreshing waters will never reach the wells to quench the people's thirst. The rivers have been filled with debris and their routes changed; now when their waters swell, they will overflow their banks. There will be a terrible flood. My people will die, my precious animals will be killed, my lovely earth will be covered with mud!"

And Noah heard God's sorrowing words, and his heart was filled with compassion. He would not let all of this beauty and grace be lost. Instead, he would save everything that he could. He would build a big boat and gather together every animal and every plant that he could find and they would float safely above the flood. God's lovely Creation would be saved.

So Noah went to work; he and his wife and their sons and daughters-in-law began building as big a boat as they could. Everyone around them thought they were crazy; after all, what's the big deal? It rains every year, and the rivers have always been able to carry the water away from the towns — why should it matter that this year they dammed up a few more?

Even the poor people scoffed. After all, the rich were able to change the shape of the mountains as they desired, they could control the price of wheat, they decided whether the country would be at war ... Whatever they are doing must be right. After all, they're the ones with the money.

No one would listen to Noah's pleadings, and no one heard God's cries, "Stop! Oh stop, my people! Listen to My voice: save yourselves! Save my Creation!"

Before long storm clouds appeared in the distance, and Noah knew it was time to prepare to leave. Sadly, even the largest boat would not be big enough to hold all of the animals and the food necessary for their survival. And so Noah and his family were only able to take a few of each kind of creature.

When they had loaded all of the animals, birds, and plants on board, Noah and his family climbed up into the ark. By now it had been raining steadily for a week; the waters were rising higher, and the rivers were beginning to overflow their banks.

Noah and his family took one last look at the earth as it was, "Dear God," he prayed, "You created something marvelous; something beautiful and precious, and we are thankful for it. We love You, and we won't let hate and greed and thoughtlessness destroy all that You have made. We have built this to save a portion of Creation. We will not forget You. Please do not forget us."

After saying this, Noah closed the door of the ark.

The rains continued. Where a hundred tiny streams had once irrigated distant farms, now a single channel conducted the entire rainfall toward the king's garden. The marsh that had provided a home for frogs and turtles and the regal scarlet ibis had been turned into a marketplace — the water swirled over the pavement and into the doorways of the shops. From one end of the kingdom to the other there was no soft earth to absorb the rain: only roadways, walls, and buildings.

People were drowning, livestock was swept away, plants were submerged in mud. God's grief-stricken cries could be heard above the thunder.

The rains continued. Dams gave way, canals overflowed. Soon the water reached the tops of the buildings, then the tops of the trees. No greenery remained. Not a living thing was visible. It was as if the entire world were covered with water.

But the ark floated on top of the water, safely carrying its precious cargo. The Creator was absolutely delighted, and hovered over them like a brooding hen.

After many weeks the waters receded, and the ark came to rest on the side of a mountain. But Noah realized that it wasn't yet safe for them to leave — everything was still covered with mud. He waited a few days and then set loose a raven, who flew back and forth over the earth each day. He did the same thing with a dove. Each day the birds would return to the ark, because there was no where else to land.

Then one day the dove brought a freshly picked olive leaf back from her travels, so Noah knew that dry land had once again appeared. A week later he set all of the birds free, and they did not return, for they had found trees to nest in and berries to eat.

Noah could hear the voice of God, laughing with delight, "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

And so Noah and his family brought all of the animals and plants out of the ark, and they planted a garden right there where the ark had landed.

It was a beautiful garden — so beautiful that the Creator came there to rest. In the garden Noah was able to hear God's voice better than ever before.

And God said, "I am making you a steward of my Creation. You did such a wonderful job that I am entrusting it to you forever. Care for it tenderly, protect it from all harm. That goes for the human beings, as well — for you are My children, created in My image, the beloved of My heart.

"To remind you of this holy responsibility, and so you will remember My love for you, I will put a rainbow in the sky. I'll create it out of raindrops and sunshine. The raindrops, in honor of the water on which your boat floated, and the sunshine in honor of the warmth and light that fills My heart when we are together."

And God and Noah danced together in the garden.

May you and God dance together always!

Virtual hugs and real-time blessings,

Deborah +

This Week's Spiritual Exercise

Consider how you can be like Noah. What parts of Creation can you help to rescue? How can you be a better steward of the precious gift of our earth?

Some suggestions:

• reduce your use of paper: use cloth napkins (just toss them in the laundry and reuse them, again and again!);
• replace standard light bulbs with energy-efficient ones;
• reduce the amount of throw-aways in your life: Swifters, plug-in air freshners, and the like not only add rubbish to landfills, they also contain toxic chemicals;
• use non-toxic cleaning solutions (baking soda, vinegar, etc.);
• buy locally-grown fruits and vegetables whenever possible;
• adopt an animal from a shelter;
• call your legislators and write letters advocating for the protection of wilderness areas and wildlife;
• reuse and recycle all you can!