It has been said in recent years that Christians should be the best environmentalists around. If it is true that God is our creator and has given us access to the resources of the world—not to rape, but to utilize for our good and his glory—then we ought to pursue lifestyles of moderation, protection, and good stewardship of everything around us.
Last week I realized that our care for our environment should not be seen as an isolated area of our faith, but integrated with an overall view of how we interact with, and reach out to, the world. Care for my environment came to mind recently as I have been jogging within my neighborhood. I began picking up trash around our entrances, and along 17th Street (unfortunately, each time I run I can pick up several handfuls of styrofoam, wood, cups, cans napkins and newspapers).
Here is the connection: I don’t think I would have started picking up trash if I had not joined the neighborhood association board (memories of a Seinfeld episode may come to mind for those around my generation). It is not that I felt obligated to pick up trash as a board member, but because of this new role I had some new heightened awareness that we seek to live in a clean, safe and friendly neighborhood. And here is one more link in my thinking: I would not have pursued this role if God had not called me to be salt and light in the world, and to reach out to my neighbors (Christians should not only be the best environmentalists, but also the best neighbor).
And so I come back to picking up trash. As I picked up a nasty flattened coke can last week I prayed, “God, you are a god of redemption, re-creation, and restoration. Use me in this neighborhood, and would you restore the hearts of these people to yourself as I seek to restore in a very small way the beauty of your creation.”
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