ViaFaith McCullough-"What's a Blade of Grass?" June 29, 2020

"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it. For he laid the earth's foundation on the seas and built it on the ocean depths." 

-Psalm 24 1-2 (NLT)

This scripture resounded in my heart, as I finished my intern training with the National Religious Partnership for the Environment. At first, I did not quite know why. This training had taught me about various environmental issues domestically and around the globe. During this training, I tried to force my brain to soak in every piece of information, as if it were a sponge frantic for water. I took all the notes I could for later research and pledged myself to be an active student of these issues still, I felt an impression on my heart that there was more to be understood. I was flustered. I'd listened, researched, learned. I'd made promises to spend my money and time with different organizations, the first being the first organization that popped up under "how to help save the earth."  In my mind, I had done all that was to be done and that was the end of it! What more could God want from me than that? It was the best I could offer, right? WRONG! The waters of my being remained disturbed. A question arose in my spirit: why? Why was I doing this? Did I view all creation as worthy of being cared for? What's a blade of grass to me? As a child, I openly embraced nature. I would admire the beauty of wildflowers, listen to the words the wind whispered to me, and stand toe-to-toe with the sun. As I grew older, I became indoctrinated into a materialistic world one that catered to the desires of people while undervaluing the importance of nature. I cared less about how my food was grown as long as it was on my table, less about who made my clothes as long as they were cute and even less about all the disastrous changes impacting the world, as long as I could not see who they were impacting me. I'd made my own desires gods within themselves. All other life was respected only to the extent that it served my whims. The Holy Spirit's conviction for me was clear. How could I profess to care for my brothers and sisters if I did not view all creation as valuable enough to be protected and respected? For every environmental abuse that occurs, there is a person who suffers from it. The message of Psalmist is clear. The earth and everything in it belong to God. If we profess love for God, then we will express it through our care for creation.  A large portion of understanding how we value ourselves and others stems from how we value creation.  God has called me to focus care for ALL of the creation. I am grateful to have experienced this word this week.