Good Stewards

" And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching." Titus 2:7

"Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your justice like the ocean depths.
You care for people and animals alike, O Lord." Psalm 36:6

In the few days of our meaningless lives, who knows how our days can best be spent? Our lives are like a shadow. Who can tell what will happen on this earth after we are gone?" Ecclesiastes 6:12

Something that has been on my mind lately has been taking care of what we have. Or being a good steward of what God has blessed us with. One thing that this could apply to is money and the issue of tithing. But I've already talked on that before, and it is not what is on my mind this morning. Instead, I am thinking green. I am thinking about the issue of recycling and not being wasteful. I am talking about taking care of what has already been given us, so that we can prepare ourselves for our heavenly rewards. This has become somewhat important to me, and that in itself is odd- I have not always been a fan of recycling or "being green". It seemed radical and silly to me. Not so anymore. I want to do what I can to take care of this beautiful planet that God made for us to live on for a time. Because someday, I am going to live someplace much more beautiful, and I want to be able to take care of that too.

As Christians, I think that we have a chance to make a difference and be an example when it comes to taking care of our space. One of the things Andy did during his time off was to remodel the kitchen at church so that it is a functional space. Our desire is to fill it with real plates, silverware, coffee mugs, glasses, etc, so that we can be less wasteful. It is awful to see that every time we have a get-together we have bag upon bag of disposable dishes going to the curb. Another thing that we have supplied the church with is dish towels and washcloths and plenty of sponges, because we've become so reliant on disposable cleaning products like paper towels and wipes and such. Instead, we should use the cloth towels and washcloths so that they can be washed and re-used. It's nice to do what we can, and we're looking forward to seeing our garbage shrink as things come to fruition.

At home I do what I can. I try to not use paper products as much as possible. We use cloth napkins because I can wash them over and over- we use regular washcloths and rags to do our cleaning instead of paper towels or wipes. We always use real dishes and plates. When we go camping even, we take along a stack of non-breakable plastic dishes that we wash and re-use. To conserve energy we use all energy-efficient light bulbs, and we turn off what we can as much as possible. As soon as it's nice enough out, the laundry goes out on the line instead of into the dryer to dry. And of course, we recycle everything. Paper, plastic, glass- it's all recycled here. I'm thinking very carefully about starting a compost bin outside- my only concern there is with odor, as we have a small yard, I just don't know if that's a good idea.

But the whole point is that we need to take care of what we have before we can be given more. It's like the parable of the talents. A man gave three of his servants a bit of money to take care of before going on a trip. Two of his servants took care of their portion- doubling the investment and making their master happy. The third hid his money, thinking that his master worked hard for it and it should be tucked away not to be used. This is what the master said to the two servants who did well:

"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'" Matthew 25:23

The man who hid the money was rebuked and dismissed. I don't want to be rebuked and dismissed- and think about the opportunities that could come of being more earth friendly! I get questioned all the time about my use of cloth napkins. And honestly, most people think it silly and old-fashioned. But an unsaved neighbor could see them hanging on the line and ask about them, and a great conversation could be had there and a seed planted. I want to set an example. Not just for the people and neighbors around me- but also for my children. So that when they are old enough to make decisions and take care of their piece of the earth they are ready to do so. For there are heavenly rewards to be had, and more than anything, I want my children to have them.