Today is Earth Day, a day to celebrate the wonderful creation that God has blessed us with. I want to start this off by letting you all know that I love nature. I would be totally happy if I could sit out in the woods, in a field, or just anywhere outdoors for hours or days on end. I tend to lose myself in wonder when I take a hike through the woods. I find myself marveling at the grandness of the creation, which leads me to marvel at how amazingly powerful God is. One thing that gets me legitimately upset is when I see the beauty of nature interrupted by man’s laziness. I absolutely love hiking, but it seems that every time I go hiking, I can’t help but be disgusted by all the garbage that is littered about the trails. In fact, the last time I went for a hike, I took two plastic shopping bags with me and before I was a half mile away from the parking lot, I had one filled with garbage and the other filled with recyclables. How is it that humans have become so blinded to the beauty of God’s creation that some use it as their personal garbage can?
As a follower of Christ, I believe that it is my personal duty to guard the Earth and His creations. Would you believe that this is, in fact, the very reason that humans were created? “God spoke: ‘Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature, so they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, and yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of the Earth’… He created them male and female. God blessed them: ‘Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge! Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air, for every living thing that moves on the face of the Earth.'” (Genesis 1:26-28 MSG, emphasis added). God created human beings to be responsible for the Earth! Of course, one will quickly realize that God doesn’t need humans for the Earth to prosper. Being all-powerful, He doesn’t need anyone else. However, He created us to be in charge of the rest of His creations. He doesn’t need our help, yet he created us for that purpose. He entrusted us with all of His creations, knowing exactly what would come of it. I can’t help but wonder what the world would be like if He had not entrusted the care of the Earth to humans. What if God kept that responsibility for Himself?
I feel that far too many people, Christians especially, have forgotten that this Earth is ours. We are not just living here, we are in charge of its well-being! What would your reaction be if you lent your car to a friend only to have it returned with an empty tank, covered in mud, with brand new dents freckling the exterior, and a new interior of dog hair and candy wrappers? I feel like that is exactly what we’ve done to the Earth. God has lent His car to us, and we have trashed it.
This is the point in the blog when I let you know that I’m not perfect. Although I actively take steps to lessen my impact on the environment, I know I am far from the model of a sustainable creature. In the past three days, I have driven over 251 miles, some of that just because I was bored (and partially lost). I am currently sitting at a Starbucks having just finished a Caramel Macchiato served to me in two cups (one for insulation) with a plastic lid, all of which will be thrown out after having been used only once. Chalk that up for the landfill! I am probably more conscious than the average person about my choices and how they impact the environment, but many times, that just means I feel guilty when I buy something that I know is bound to spend more than my lifetime wasting away in a dump somewhere. However, I want to encourage all of you to remember that God has put us in charge of this planet. In order to be a good steward of the resources that He has blessed us with, we have to start with a consciousness of the impact that our actions have on our environment. You don’t have to take huge steps to be more responsible for God’s creation. Bring your own cup when you go to get coffee, ride a bike or walk instead of driving when it’s possible, bring reusable bags when you go to the grocery store! Think about the costs of what you are doing. God has entrusted us with this Earth. In fact, His very first command to us in the Bible is to to be responsible for His creations (Gen. 1:26-28).
Here are some resources that I have found particularly helpful and intriguing in my journey to be more responsible for God’s creation…
Serve God Save the Planet by J. Matthew Sleeth
Amazing book by a man who really lives it! Sleeth and his family live a truly “green” life. Great insights on our call as Christ followers to take
care of the Earth.
www.thestoryofstuff.com
Cool video that helped me realize the actual cost of products.
www.gassavers.org
A great site with tips on how to get better gas mileage on your car. Some really simple stuff to do, as long as you remember!
http://www.marshill.org/connect/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=57_93_40&products_id=442
This is a five part series called “God Is Green,” from Mars Hill Bible Church. You may know of the Nooma videos (if you don’t, they’re definitely worth checking out), which feature Rob Bell, the pastor of Mars Hill. Good stuff and a very eye-opening series.
That is all from me on this lovely Earth Day. I’ll leave you with a quote from Rob Bell’s book, Sex God: Exploring the Endless Connections Between Sexuality and Spirituality (I felt it necessary to include the subtitle to let you understand what it’s really about).
“How you treat the creation reflects how you feel about the Creator.”
