Listen to the Cry of the Earth
My first introduction to recycling was in 1994 when I moved to Winston-Salem, NC. My then-employers had recycling bins and were adamant that I only throw out actual trash. Coming from a small town in South Louisiana with no recycling programs, I did not get why this was a big deal to them. Honestly, I thought they were a bit weird for rinsing out every milk carton, coke can, juice bottle and more. Fast forward many years later, I became the weirdo rinsing out my milk cartons, juice bottles, diet coke cans and more. Recycling had become a part of my life and I loved it! I felt like I was doing my part in saving the environment, one small piece of plastic at a time. When recycling went away here in Shreveport, I was very upset. Every time we empty our trash, it pains me to see our milk cartons, egg cartons, cans, glass and more stuffed inside. As a result, I do my best to be “green” in other ways.
The debate about the environment is a huge one, to say the least. One side of the aisle believes it is the biggest crisis of our time while the other side acknowledges its importance but is less reactive towards it. In my opinion, it does not matter what either side of the aisle says, rather, it matters what scripture says:
“You shall not pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it. You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell, for I the LORD dwell in the midst of the people of Israel.” Numbers 35:33-34
You shall not pollute the land. You shall not defile the land. It looks like we are 0 for 2, brothers and sisters. Humans, unfortunately, have been polluting and defiling the land for centuries and sadly I believe it will continue until the second coming when a “new heaven and a new earth” will be made. This belief does not stem from pessimism; rather it comes from both knowing and understanding the human psyche. In my 19 years as a mental health professional, I have come to realize that the majority of the “hot button” topics come back to one thing, we have a human problem. Our thoughts drive us, which influences our feelings and ultimately determines our behaviors. For example, if a person thinks littering is not a big deal, they will feel no guilt or shame about it, which leads them to throw their McDonald’s bag out the car window. Another example is a person who thinks plastic bottles are a huge threat to the environment; they feel angry when they see the number of plastic bottles people use, which leads them to only using recyclable containers. Our thoughts influence our feelings, which determines our behaviors. Once again, we have a human problem, namely a human “thinking” problem.
I believe an important question to now ask ourselves is, “What does scripture tell us about our thoughts?” For this answer I turn to Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” I could stop here because honestly, this says it all. St. Paul is very clear in his letter to the Philippians when expressing how important it is to guard our thoughts. God created us with very powerful minds but He also gave us free will. With that said, what are your thoughts on the environment? Are they true? Honorable? Just? Pure? I strongly believe that to save our planet from pollution and defilement we must first address our thinking patterns, our feelings and the choices we are making as a result. We must turn to Sacred Scripture and stop listening to the latest and greatest politician or activist. We must prayerfully ask God to help us change our thoughts to what is pleasing to Him. We must see our environment not as left or right, liberal or conservative, but rather as a gift from God, our Creator, who created the heavens and the earth:
“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” Genesis 1: 26-28
