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“And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”
—Genesis 1:12, KJV

Joyce Kilmer was born in 1886 and made his name as a journalist and poet. His poetry lifts up faith and beauty, allowing them to meet in celebration.

Tragically, Kilmer was killed in combat in France during World War I. Posthumously, the French awarded him the Croix de Guerre—the War Cross—for bravery. In North Carolina’s Nantahala National Forest, a 3,800-acre memorial forest bears his name.

Perhaps his best-known poem is his tribute to trees and his profound recognition that, in all their splendor, they point us to the God who made them.

Trees

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

—Joyce Kilmer (public domain)

There is a grace in stopping long enough to see what is before us. A tree is not merely timber waiting to be cut, shade waiting to be used, or a feature in the background of our hurried lives. It is a living witness: rooted in the earth, receiving rain, stretching toward the light, sheltering nests, bearing fruit, and quietly doing what God made it to do.

The first chapter of Genesis teaches us to look at creation through God’s eyes. Again and again, God sees what He has made and calls it good. The goodness of creation is not dependent upon our ability to explain it, profit from it, or improve it. It is good because it comes from the hand of God.

So, God grant that we might have the grace to behold the beauty, wonder, and majesty of Your creation—and agree with Your assessment of it.

“…and God saw that it was good.”