One of the unique characteristics of the bog is that of its hostile environment. 

Many of you know that plants, in order to grow, require oxygen, water, nutrients, and sunlight.  For normal conditions, plants gain their nutrients from the soil and the decomposition of other plant and animal matter.  However, the decomposition process is very, very slow on the bog.  The reason for this is the extreme lack of oxygen in the water.  When the bog’s supply of water is cut off from the outside source the only supply of water that it has left is the rain water.  Coupling this with the absorbent mat of sphagnum moss and the high concentration of peat in the water the conditions on the bog are left with the high acidity.  One would think that no life could grow in this hostile place.  It certainly is not a place where animals like to go and build a summer home.

 

However, there are plants that grow in the bog.  Some of those plants produce fruit that you can eat – cranberries, blueberries, and huckleberries.  There are also types of orchids that grow in the bog.  But, some of the most fascinating plants that grow in the bog are the carnivorous plants that grow across the spongy mat of moss.  These are the Venus Flytrap, the Pitcher Plant, and the Sundew Plant.  Because of the acidity and lack of nutrients, the carnivorous plants were created with a special way to gather the necessary nutrients to sustain life.  Each of them, in their own way, attract and trap and digest insects for dinner – the pitcher plant has its juices at the bottom of the cup, the sundew has its glistening, sticky goo, and the flytrap snaps shut over lunch.  Each plant on the bog was created with the plans to sustain its life and thrive in the hostile environment of the bog.

 

It is really the same for us in our human existence.  We, as Christians, are called out of the hostile environment of the world to serve Christ in the hostile environment of the world.  As we grow in our walk with Christ Jesus we can be certain that we are going to encounter hostility.  The way of the Cross is filled with suffering.  Suffering drains the soul.  Service drains the soul.  Each of us must be nourished in order to remain effective in our service to God.

 

Our spiritual nourishment is much like the nourishment of the plants of the bog, carnivorous and otherwise.  Like those plants (and all plants for that matter) our nourishment comes from outside of ourselves.  Sadly, we try too many times to feed ourselves and find ourselves weak and frail from the effort.  The fact of the matter is that we need the nourishment that only comes from God to give us the strength to endure suffering and maintain our service to God.  We are nourished spiritually from God Himself, the working of the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, prayer, and fellowship with other believers.

 

God will not leave us without the necessary items to do His Will here on this earth.  He has promised to supply what we need and to enable us to do His work here.  It only requires that we daily (sometimes hourly) surrender our wills to Him and allow God to work in and through us and, in so doing, supply the needs of our soul in the work He has called us to do.  After all, it is in God that we have our breath, our health, and our very existence.  He sustains our physical life and our spiritual life.  He does this because He is a creative God who loves very much His most prized creations – you.