A Little Green, A Lot Thankful
A friend of mine recently said something that really resonated with me:
I happen to believe very strongly that Satan is a very smart being–and he knows that if he can get his people to start to learn and practice something then the majority of the Church will reject it outright as evil. I’m convinced that is what he has done with environmental/green living.
Now, I freely admit I’m a bit of a tree hugger. Part of it is just personality – I love being outdoors, enjoy physical labor, and am invigorated by the scent of soil. Part of it is frugality – we use cloth napkins and other non-disposable products, I make my own household cleaners, often shop consignment stores, and avoid expensive processed foods. Part of it is for health reasons – I do think it’s better to eat local, organic produce and farm products, to make my own cultured dairy products and baked goods, to grow heirloom non-GMO veggies, and to avoid medications in favor of natural remedies whenever possible. Part of it is moral – it is a responsibility I feel I have to spend my money as intentionally as I can, using it to support neighbors, ministries, sustainable and fairly-traded products.
But, in the end, all this adds up to ways I’m trying to be a good steward of the earth God has put me on. No, this world will not last forever, and the Lord certainly is sovereign over it all; my using paper over plastic is not going to change anything He has set forth. For me, however, doing these things is another way I worship and serve Him. It doesn’t make me a humanist. It doesn’t make me a PETA member or a global warming activist. It just makes me a Birkenstock-wearing follower of Christ who happens to be a little crunchy, a little off-beat, and a lot grateful for all He has entrusted to me.
Amen, sister! I wholeheartedly agree.
(And where is that quote from, because I read it somewhere too!)
I totally agree with your take on being green! I am green also, but in a way that stems from my belief that God has called us to be good stewards of the planet he gave us, and that we should not waste the beautiful gift he has given us. I also use cloth napkins, diapers (when we were in that stage), organic holistic remedies, we grow as much of our food as possible, etc. I am also a tightwad at heart, and being green is often very cost effective, which makes my scrimpy nature happy.
We are not here to worship the creation, and in turn not use it because we worship it. We are here to Worship The ONE who created it!
But I am also an avid carnivore, and my first definition for the acronym for PETA is “People for the Eating of Tasty Animals”. Not my original idea, I got it from somewhere else. They really should have thought their name through a bit better!
I love the psalms that cry out the praises of God’s creation.
Cindae
Thank you Christa!!!
What a relief to know, there is someone else out there who understands. You can love God and the earth at the same time!
Thanks for stopping by, Susie. Seriously… I want to be a good steward of the earth *because* I love God, not in spite of it. People can roll their eyes, but that’s fine. God knows my heart
Am almost finished with “Home Another Way”. It is the most beautiful book I have EVER read. Thank you. Better than Secret Life of Bees and I didn’ t think that was possible. Thank you Thank you Thank you for writing!