Thoughts and Changes

I was recently at a youth conference and attended a forum called "Kingdom and Environment." When the list of forums was presented, I was surprised at the number of people who rolled their eyes and groaned. "Not another lecture on being 'green!'" Taking care of the earth is such a political topic now - meaning it is by nature polarizing - and being "green" is the trend on which advertisers are capitalizing.

My personal convictions have lead me to have a passion for environmental issues, and for the last six months or so, I've really been wrestling with what that looks like in my faith. It just doesn't seem to be widely acceptable to be Christian and to be an environmentalist. And I feel like I sometimes have to deny who I am in Christian circles by not speaking up about my passions and convictions in this area.

Reading the book Blue Like Jazz was probably the first step in helping me come to a better understanding of myself. Donald Miller says things in that book that made me think as I read it, "Hey, I've thought that before but never knew how to put it in words." Miller loves Christ, and he isn't conservative - in fact, he's a Democrat. I'm not really either a Democrat or a Republican, but it helped reassure me that I can have godly convictions that lean toward the "liberal" side. I'm not attacking Christian Republicans here; I'm just saying that I started to realize that I wasn't somehow more evil for taking a liberal stance on an issue. The key is whether I'm being led by God or by other people, from anywhere on the political spectrum. I started to pray that God would show me what to think and feel about politics and politicians, as hinted at here:

I felt a long way from the pre-me, the pawn-Christian who was a Republican because my family was Republican, not because I had prayed and asked God to enlighten me about issues concerning the entire world rather than just America. ~from pg. 19 of Blue Like Jazz

There are a lot of issues that I could talk about, but the main focus here is on the environment. And I feel really strongly that I am called to take care of the earth to the extent that I can. I have lots of info about the how (some of which I've already shared on my blog), plus I'm on about five e-mail lists from environmental organizations, so my head is constantly getting filled with new ideas to implement in my life. But it has really been the why that I've been learning the last few months. God showed me some Bible verses that encouraged me: God renews the face of the earth (Psalm 104:30). Much as we groan and wait for the redemption of our bodies, so does the creation eagerly wait for redemption (Romans 8:18-23). And even the idea that the land should have a Sabbath year as laid out in Leviticus 25.

The "Kingdom and Environment" forum really encouraged me as well. The speaker emphasized that loving God and loving people, the Greatest Commandment, should always take precedence over loving the earth. But I've been thinking the last few days about how I'm actually loving God and loving people through the ways I love the earth. God emphasizes over and over in the Word that He loves His creation - I am loving God by taking care of what He loves. I am also loving God by being true to the convictions He has put in my heart. And I am loving people by not being selfish in how I use resources (at least trying). By realizing the impact my actions have on the environment that we all share. And by considering the very poorest people in the world and how my wanting more "stuff" impacts their lives. (Watch The Story of Stuff. It takes a good chunk of time to watch, but it blew my mind and absolutely tore at me how much I abuse other people through all my stuff.)

I have such a long way to go in changing how I impact the environment through my life. But I still believe in the power of small changes, and I think most of the work revolves around the everyday choices I make. I'll go back to Blue Like Jazz here: "I am not browbeating myself here; I am only saying that true change, true life-giving, God-honoring change would have to start with the individual. I was the very problem I had been protesting." (pg. 20)

I am going to strive to continue to make changes in my own life. I am sick of divisive political agendas, debates over the legitimacy of global warming, and the everywhere-you-look green trend. I am not striving to be environmentally-kind to push people one way or another, to save the planet, or to give myself a gold star. The heart behind all this is that I want to be a good steward of the things I have been given, I want to love my neighbor, both next door and around the world, and I want to honor God.

So I'm changing the name of my blog. The word I've been liking most recently is "sustainable."

sustain:
1. to support, hold, or bear up from below; bear the weight of, as a structure.
2. to bear (a burden, charge, etc.).
3. to undergo, experience, or suffer (injury, loss, etc.); endure without giving way or yielding.

God has given me a place on this planet, and it helps sustain - bear the weight of - my life. I want my life to help sustain and support it. The definition I like best there is to "endure without giving way or yielding." I don't promise to update this blog more often than I have, but I hope to - to record the things I've learned and share the ideas I encounter. And I hope through this process that I am better able to sustain myself and my lifestyle (by the empowerment of God).