I love the snow. Which when you think about that simple statement, you realize just how ironic it is that I live in Florida, the land of sand and alligators. I enjoy the softness of snow. It tones everything down and there is just a quietness about it. A friend uses the word mute. Snow mutes the world around us. And wouldn’t it be nice if we could mute the world around us. Especially the name calling, the bullying, the anger, the hatred, the fear.
We live in a beautiful world. It is filled with diversity from the plants we enjoy either to look at or eat to the animals and all the variety of people groups. We all share this little blue planet…the third rock from the sun. Positioned perfectly so that all those plants, animals, and humans I mentioned can live and thrive. But we can only thrive if we acknowledge that we SHARE this wonderful world we live on.
And here’s the thing: God did not give total dominating power to human beings. What God gave to humanity was the role of caretaker. While Genesis 1:26 says that God created man to “rule” over all the things…we can’t take one verse and make a theology. We need to read all of it…and if you read throughout the old and new testaments you will discover many passages where God says we are NOT to be harsh in our treatment of people as well as all creation. Instead, we are to care for it…all of it.
When we use creation as if it is our own personal bank, raping the earth of its resources and doing nothing to replenish those same resources where we can or using those that are in limited supply sparingly…in other words, we should reuse, recycle, repurpose, replant, etc…we are not treating the world with kindness. And the problem with our over-spending throw away society is that we only have one earth…this one. It is our home. Once we destroy it with our greed and over-use…we have destroyed what sustains us. Think about that.
The more we turn our farmland into solar fields, shopping centers, housing developments…the less land we have to grow the food we eat. The more we pollute our soil, waterways, and air the more we poison our own bodies and the bodies of our precious children. The more we ignore the warning signs our home planet is sending…screaming out to us…the harder it will be to recover if we can recover.
I hope you will choose to look around you and see where you can reuse, repurpose, recycle the things you have. Look around and see what you actually need, not want, and don’t buy more. Look around and see where you can support sustainable efforts or buy used. Borrow what you only use once in a while instead of buying something you will rarely use.
I think what I am trying to convey to anyone who will listen is this: live mindfully. Think about if you really need something before you purchase it. Please know, I am not judging anyone. I live very imperfectly and I have been known to overspend myself (shoes) But I am taking the time now to really think about what I need, not want, and buy accordingly. I am rethinking how I will do projects I have in mind for my home. For example, I had my floors refinished, not replaced. They are imperfect, they are beautiful, and I saved the 136-year-old Douglass Fir wood that covers my floors. It did not end up in a landfill…that would have been tragic.
Secondly, remember it doesn’t have to be Pinterest perfect. Let go of what Madison Avenue wants you to believe you need. Trust me you don’t need what they are selling. Any of it. Turn off the advertisements and lean into your heart. Learn who you are and be comfortable in what makes you happy and not what the Ad-men want you to believe.
God created you to be you. Learn who you are as you tread gently through this beautiful world we get to call home. Treat her and every living thing with respect and dignity.
Peace,
Beth's Blog 