So many days, I find myself deeply concerned about the heavy footprint of humanity upon the Earth. How many more of us, how much more of our stuff, how much more of our demands will the Earth be able to sustain?
All of our daily movements—using our cell phones and tablets, flushing our toilets, driving our vehicles, using our washing machines and dryers, purchasing pre-packaged foods, watching our favorite television shows, cutting our lawns, microwaving popcorn, cleaning with chlorine bleach, buying food that must travel a long distance to get to us, even the amount of meat we eat—means taking from the Earth.
We take continuously and rarely replenish. We have got to do better. We have a responsibility to the earth and its creatures. If indeed we believe “the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof,” is it not our divine duty to maintain that fullness?
This message is an excerpt from “Earthwise: We have to do better” by Venice R. Williams in the September 2017 issue of Gather magazine. Today we remember Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, who died around 342.
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