The next helper had also been to Yosemite National Park, she was not wet, but she had a huge pile of books and papers! She had not only toured the park, but she had also done a lot of research on the history of the park and conservation and preservation.
Yosemite was made into a National Park in 1890, it was not the first National Park, but it is one of the most important National Parks. The reason that Yosemite became so important is because President Teddy Roosevelt visited the park in 1903, and went camping with naturalist John Muir.
President Roosevelt was firm believer in conserving our natural resources and preserving the wonders of nature. The beauty and wonder of Yosemite National Park inspired the President to take further action! The visit to the park inspired President Teddy Roosevelt to expand federal protection of Yosemite, and it inspired him to sign into existence five national parks, 18 national monuments, 55 national bird sanctuaries and wildlife refuges, and 150 national forests.
Lakes, waterfalls, woods, mountains, sequoia trees, birds, mammals, insects, and clean water and air are preserved in Yosemite National Park.
But that is not all; the National Park Service also strives to preserve the history of people connected with the park. Native Americans visited and lived in the park for many years before it was made into a National Park. There are over 1500 archeological sites within the park, where the history of the Native Americans and early settlers is studied and preserved.
Application for you and me:
The God-Connection that this helper found was conserving the natural resources and preserving the wonder and beauty of the earth. God has given humans the job of taking care of this earth!
In the Bible in Genesis 1:26 it says:
Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”
Conservation and preservation were God’s idea! In Psalms 8:3-9 God’s reminds us of our responsibility to take care of the earth.
When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers – the moon and the stars you set in place – what are mere mortals that You should think about them, human beings that You should care for them? Yet You made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. You gave them charge of everything You made, putting all things under their authority – the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents. O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!
Preserving and conserving resources and nature are just part of our job! Just like Yosemite National Park also preserves the history of the Native American, we are also supposed to take care of other people. Many people miss this important job, it is very popular to get involved with taking care of nature, but helping other people is not so popular, and it is hard to do, but it is important to God!
In the Bible in Galatians 2:2-3 it says:
Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.
Also, in the Bible in Romans 12:14-18 it says:
Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
Taking care of the people around us is very important to God, in fact God says that taking care of others is the second most important thing!
In the Bible in Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus says:
Jesus replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.
So, love God with everything in you, look for ways to love, serve and help the people in your life, and then after that take care of the earth that God gave us!