Taking Dominion for the Greater Good

Sometimes it feels like the Spirit of God shines a light on something and brings clear revelation. Other times I feel more like there are bits and pieces flitting through my mind...and I know there are insights to gain, but a clear picture is more elusive.

That's what the subject matter of this blog feels like right now.

So I'll just start writing and see where it goes!

The beginning is frequently a good place to start, so I want to take a peek at Genesis 1, verse 26. Elohim (did you know that word is plural? It surely must be the Father, the Word, and the Spirit) brings forth man (in Our image, male and female He created them, it says). 

And part of the intent was for mankind to rule (in Hebrew the word can mean make to have dominion, prevail against, reign, bear) over the fish, the birds, the livestock and all the earth and every crawling thing on the earth.

I think it's crucial to note that this dominion entrusted to mankind was in a framework where humans walked in close communion with Elohim. Unmarred relationship. Boundless joy, and love. Purity. Light.

Of course, that turned out to be a pipe dream for a few thousand years after first unbelief and then disobedience made a rift between the Creator and the created.

Still, Elohim didn't give up on mankind. He still gave us opportunities to exercise dominion as He intends...born out of a relationship with Him, allowing the fruit of His glory to transform the earth.

In Exodus 23 we see another glimpse of intended dominion as God is preparing the Israelites for a future entry into the Promised Land (it was supposed to be soon, but their unbelief delayed it 40 years), He says of the pagan nations, "I will not drive them out from you in a single year, so that the land will not become desolate and the animals of the field become too numerous for you. I will drive them out from you little by little, until you become fruitful and take possession of the land."

It wasn't enough to just eradicate the evil, it seems. It's like creation has a mind of its own and in the absence of God-ordained dominion, chaos ensues. Even anti-God idol-worshiping pagans were apparently taking enough dominion to keep some of the chaos at bay. I wonder if that word desolate indicates desertification, which is a process that happens in brittle environments when animals and livestock overgraze, weaken root systems, diminish the soil's water holding capacity, and create a ripe environment for significant erosion.

If you've read the Old Testament, you are painfully aware that the Israelites did not in fact have a good track record of honoring God, let alone exercising godly dominion over creation. 

And it wasn't limited to the Israelites. Several years ago we came across an old USDA bulletin when going through things my grandparents had saved. It was called "CONQUEST OF THE LAND THROUGH 7,000 YEARS", written by W. C. Lowdermilk after he had worked for the Soil Conservation Service. He traveled to and researched the history of many lands and fallen empires, discovering a glaring thread: poor agriculture practices, erosion, and silting in of waterways played a significant role in the demise of entire civilizations. I highly recommend reading the 28-page booklet.

Over 2,000 years ago the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. John the apostle said the Word was with God and He was God. Since mankind had lost our connection to the Father, Jesus came to us to reconcile us back to Him. To restore our identity as sons and daughters who live and move and have our being in Him. To remind us of the calling we still have--to carry the glory of Elohim in these earthen vessels for the purpose of liberating creation from the bondage it's been in since Adam and Eve left Eden.

Okay, at this point I feel like we've been at the 30,000 foot view. Now let's dial it in a lot for a close-up. Which in some ways feels like quite a downshift, but at some point you have to apply heaven's perspective to your daily life, you know?

At Farm Connection, we're always working on figuring out this whole dominion thing. I'll never pretend we've figured it all out, but we know we are called to steward the land well. To manage our livestock in ways that improve soil health and water and mineral cycles. To bring forth a harvest which will nourish the bodies of people who rely on our farm for food.

It's a journey that will probably always hold new lessons to learn.

But it is exciting to see some of the signs that indicate the good things that are happening above and below ground alike!

In this pasture we had fed several round bales containing Eastern Gammagrass a couple winters ago. Between Miriam's belly and Kimchi's head in this photo there is one of many tufts of Gammagrass that has started growing where we fed the hay. I love seeing this because a) we didn't have to buy and plant this seed to start it, it was just a happy by-product of several meals for the cows and b) it's a warm-season perennial, which adds more diversity to the pasture and tasty high-energy forage for the cows in the summer!

This video clip shows Bear rolling up a polywire to give the cows another section of pasture. They've already eaten, trampled, and fertilized the portion to the left, and eagerly migrate to the next meal. One of the things I liked about this video is the flock of cowbirds you can see a few seconds in. Cowbirds like to associate with cow herds (who'd have thought?? ;) ). Birds and herds were made to go together for mutually beneficial reasons, and it's amusing to see at times one or more bird will be perched on a cow's back or even head.

Several days ago as I set up the portable fence for the cows' next break I was observing the diversity of plants in this pasture. Nature has no monocrops, and since diversity is one of the key principles of soil health, this wide array of grasses, legumes and forbs should be fostering some soil-building dynamics below the surface. See if you can count how many I mentioned!

If you own or rent land or have animals, you, too, can exercise righteous dominion over creation. But even if you don't, your choice to support farmers whose practices align with these principles achieves the same results.

This red clover leaf may not be quite as big as the grapes the Israelite spies brought back from the Promised Land, but it's a start!

How exciting would it be to see creation transformed before our very eyes because we accepted the invitation to fulfill our calling, together?