Field Guide

It did not take me very long to realize that I needed some help during my journeys out in nature. Where am I? How do I get from here to there? What type terrain will I encounter on this outing? To help me answer these questions, I found topographic maps to be quite helpful. Then, as I began to use a camera to photographically communicate some of what I saw and experienced and, later, have some images published, I realized it was incomplete and insufficient to only say, “This is a bird . . . a butterfly . . . a flower.” I needed to be able to say:

This is a Great Blue Heron in breeding plumage:

This is a Zerene Fritillary:

This is Blue-eyed Grass:

Over the years, I’ve accumulated a collection of field guides, each dealing with a particular aspect of nature. These books have helped me in a number of different ways other than just names. I’ve learned where to go, when to go and, perhaps equally as important, where and when not to go.

I have also found I need help in my journey through life. But, in contrast to the multiple volumes I use in nature photography, I’ve found I only need one field guide for living: the Bible. While God’s Word does not tell me whether or not to order large fries when I’m at a fast food restaurant, it does tell me I should take care of my body:

You are no longer your own. God paid a great price for you.
So use your body to honor God.
I Corinthians 6:19b-20 (The Contemporary English Version)

More importantly, the Bible helps me understand how much God loves me:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16 (NIV)

It also assists me in knowing how I should interact with other people:

Love your neighbor as yourself.
Matthew 22:39b (NIV)

Infinitely more valuable than a whole library of books that tell me about nature is the one guide that helps me understand the nature of God: the Bible.