May God have pity on us and bless us;
may he let his face shine upon us.
So may your way be known upon earth;
among all nations, your salvation.
Psam 67:2-3
My children drew pictures of this verse when they were younger as an art project, and they drew God as the sun shining down and smiling at the scenes they created. There was a playground on one picture, and a sea with boats and seagulls on another. These days with all the talk of rising seas and climate change and weather events that include hotter temperatures, I wonder if God is still like that sun, smiling down on us or if he is rather stern faced right now. As the psalm continues, it is mentioned that the earth has "yielded its fruits" and that God has blessed us.
How do we care for our common home, this earth? Conservation and common sense care starts with each of us. I wanted to give up plastic bottles and when I tried, I forgot to replace them with a water bottle so often that I ended up thirsty to the point of being fatigued, when I knew better. I lacked the common sense aspect of caring for myself by taking an extra minute to refill the aluminum bottle I had with me. If the city is going to ban plastic bags, am I going to complain and complain, or look into the reasons why the ban exitsts, and go out of my way by taking a few minutes to be sure I do not forget my cloth bags when I shop. Let us pray for ways to be more careful within our communities and possibly set an example of good stewards for those around us.
