I used to consider myself reasonably responsible in terms of creation care. I carry a keep cup for coffees on the road, everything recyclable goes into the correct bin and I spend extra on environmentally friendly tissues, paper towels and toilet paper rather than buy the cheaper alternatives.
But all that fades into insignificance compared to what some others do. Last week I attended an inspirational evening focused on creation care*. It got me thinking … exploring Scripture … composting … shopping with awareness … and writing up this blog post.
Rule and subdue
Right back in Genesis 1, man was given a mandate to ‘subdue’ the earth and to ‘have dominion over’ every living thing (Genesis 1:28 ESV). As God’s image-bearers, we care for creation. We don’t exploit it. But what struck me that evening, something which I had never noticed before, was the necessity of placing limits on that for which we care.
The next day, I sat on the porch in my little backyard with a modern Bible study tool as good as any which scholars centuries ago had at their fingertips … the iPhone. Noting the gangly roses in need of pruning and the weeds poking through the garden, not to mention the long grass, I opened BibleHub.com on the phone. Setting it to Genesis 1:28, I was able to see other ways the original Hebrew words had been translated. ‘Subdue’ and ‘rule’, ‘govern’ and ‘reign’, ‘bring creation under your control’ and ‘be master of creation’ – they all had a similar sense of man having a leadership role in creation, and, as such, imposing appropriate limits on creation.
Next I moved to the Hebrew terms for ‘rule’ and ‘have dominion’. Not being a Hebrew scholar, I clicked on the Strong’s Hebrew numbers to see how these terms were used in other parts of the Bible. I found a common idea of rule and dominion in the way that government leaders rule us common citizens, or as a victor rules a country it has taken. Within that is a sense of discipline, intended to keep that over which we rule within proper limits.
Looking at the fat cat sitting by my feet, I gently but firmly told her, “It’s my job to care for you, Puss, so you are going on a diet.” It will be hard. The cat spells ‘love’ like this: ‘F-O-O-D’. Next, I got up from the seat, slipped on gardening gloves and picked up the secateurs. If my roses are to enjoy exuberant growth next season, I must be prune them. The long grass can wait until a day when it hasn’t rained.
Caring for our environment
If we are to ‘subdue’ and ‘have dominion’ over creation, we need to do so appropriately. We must not exploit creation for our own greed … our own wants … our own wealth. There are times when we need to step in, though, and keep things within appropriate limits, whether than be cane toads or blackberries or desertification … or household rubbish.
Let me share a practical step I have taken since attending the creation care evening last week. It involves limitations on what goes where in my home. No, I haven’t become super tidy all of a sudden … I wish that were so. It’s more down-to-earth than that.
It’s about the compost bin.
I used to refrain from putting coffee grounds in it because I thought it would make the soil too acidic. And so I would put my coffee grounds in the rubbish bin. I hadn’t thought about the fact that when I send coffee grounds to landfill, they don’t get aerated nor do worms get to them. They don’t break down well. That’s not responsible creation care.
So now I am putting both coffee grounds and shredded paper waste into my compost. Perhaps a corner of my backyard will be a little acidic. So be it. I will accept that limitation on my ‘right’ to have non-acidic non-alkaline compost. I wonder if the worms and slugs will get caffeine highs?
Don’t think that I am doing well, though. I have a long way to go in accepting limitations as I care for creation. As I cooked dinner last night, with eyes freshly opened to the importance of creation care, I was aghast at how much waste was involved.
Putting together a tasty meal of chicken curry on rice, I used a green plastic tray and cling wrap (from the chicken thighs … chicken which was, incidentally, supposedly organic and free-range), a tin (from the coconut milk), a plastic tub (from the curry paste), plenty of vegetables (which are environmentally more-or-less okay – I take my own bag to a local vegetable shop) and a thick plastic bag (from the microwavable rice). That’s shocking!
Caring for ourselves
Mankind was originally created from the soil, although with a special role and the breath of God in us. As creatures rather than the Creator, we need to be ‘ruled’ and ‘subdued’ too. When we work night and day, trying to be everything to everyone, eating fast rather than well, we are not living within the limits of our human-ness. Our actions suggest that we are trying to be God rather than God’s representatives.
Just as I prune my roses and threaten to put the cat on a diet, so I must ‘rule’ and ‘dominate’ my own body. Taking a weekly day of rest, eating healthily, exercising appropriately, filling my mind with good stuff rather than rubbish – all this is part of living out my faith.
Parents are usually careful about what goes into a child’s mind and body, and ensure that they get adequate rest, exercise and relaxation. But it seems ‘selfish’ to do it for ourselves as adults.
It’s not selfish. It’s part of accepting our limitations, and of ruling and having dominion over ourselves.
Caring for one another
Caring for others also means imposing limitations at times. This isn’t something that our society always likes to hear.
As a community, we sometimes act like we are God rather than God’s representatives. There are times our society oversteps God-ordained limits in matters including, though not limited to, sexuality, the ‘right’ to choose life (before birth or as death approaches), unhealthy things we put in our minds (what we watch, read, listen to, online games, gambling etc), and food and beverage options promoted by big businesses.
As Christians, we must care for creation. It’s part of our Biblical mandate. And that means impacting our society, doing what we can to place healthy limits on our fellow humans. We don’t want to be old fuddy-duddies, but as far as we can, we need to be a voice in our workplaces, community groups, action groups and government. We need to agitate appropriately for what is right, good and healthy.
Where do we start?
At home.
Since attending that inspirational evening on creation care last week I have imposed a few more limits on my garden, on my body, and continue to do what I can in society. The cat’s weight, however, remains a challenge.
And now, as I write, it is time for dinner … chicken fried rice … using up the leftover chicken and rice from yesterday, albeit it with all the plastic packaging. That is a challenge for another day. I will enjoy my meal in front of a favourite TV show. (I think ‘The Voice’ falls within the limits of what is healthy for my mind.) The cat will gaze at my bowl and beg, and I daresay I will succumb. I usually do when there is meat on the plate. I still have a long way to go in imposing limits on myself, my immediate environment and on the cat.
At least the compost bin is filling up. It’s a start.
* The evening event on the topic of creation care to which I referred, Kingdom Gardeners, was put on by Interserve Australia and La Rocha. Don’t blame them for everything in the blog post, though. They just got me thinking.