What to do?

I have been thinking a lot lately about the climate change crisis and other recent events in the world (like most everyone, I guess).

Brad J put a link on his blog to a great little movie on the subject called The Story of Stuff. Please watch it if you have any question about what I'm talking about! (It's about 20 minutes long, very short, yet thorough.)

A couple verses have leapt out at me recently during my Bible reading, and I wanted to share them with you.

The first was Ezekiel 18:31-32: Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed against me, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have not pleasure in the death of anyone, says the Lord God. Turn, then, and live!

What transgressions have I committed? Look at Ps. 24:1:
The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it,
the world, and those who live in it;

So, my "footprint" not only hurts the earth -- it hurts the Lord who made it. In fact, it also hurts "those who live in it." We watched a movie about soaring cancer rates in China due to polluted rivers; but whose dollar is demanding the manufacturing which is polluting the river? Mine! Remember those starving children in Africa who we all wanted to send our broccoli to? Well, one of the documentaries we watched said that the drought which starved them was caused by the exhaust smoke from our parents' cars! What human suffering am I causing without even being aware of it? I may be angry about the rainforest being cut down -- but are they doing it to make my junk mail, and grow my bananas?

But what can I do? Our whole lives are steeped in this materialistic way -- how can I change everything (short of moving to Africa!)? Psalm 25:11-12 gave me this answer:
For your name's sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great.
Who are they that fear the Lord?
He will teach them the way that they should choose.

I will make the small changes that are possible: flying less, walking more, recycling, changing lightbulbs, buying less (and more secondhand), saying no to junk mail. God will show me the "way that I should choose". (Please share with me anything you've thought of that can help!) The rising fuel prices will actually help us as a society get serious about these changes.

We had a beautiful, restful Sabbath day today. Ezekiel 20:12 says, "Moreover I gave them my sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, so that they might know that I the LORD sanctify them." He reminds me that I can't save the world, or even myself (or my children, family, and friends, who I love dearly). But he can save us all, and will if we let him. So come, Lord, and work your will in my heart and family!

In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus teaches us to pray that he will "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one" -- in my Bible, it says, "do not bring us to the time of trial." Also in Gethesemane (facing a crisis) he twice exhorts the disciples to "Pray that you may not come into the time of trial" Luke 22:39-46. So when I fear the coming crisis, this is my prayer. I don't know if he will spare us from the awful events, or just give us peace of mind and heart throughout them; but I know I can't go wrong praying the prayer he told the disciples to pray!

And to all the children of the world: Sorry!