Hennie Symington

When I look at the sky, which you have made,

at the moon and the stars, which you set in their places —

what are human beings, that you think of them;

mere mortals, that you care for them?

Yet you made them inferior only to yourself;

you crowned them with glory and honour.

You appointed them rulers over everything you made;

you placed them over all creation.  Psalm 8:3-5

The world and an all that is in it belongs to the Lord;

    the earth and all who live on it are his.

He built it on the deep waters beneath the earth

         and laid its foundations in the ocean depths.  Psalm 24:1-3

The past year has seen some of the worst natural disasters ever experienced in human memory and there’s no longer any denying that climate change is a reality. When looking at our world, we realise that nothing is sacred. When unbridled exploitation of the earth has become commonplace we know that life itself has lost its value. The number of plant and animal species that become extinct every year, the destruction of the rain forests and the pollution of our waters threaten the very existence of many people and animals, point to a deep-seated lack of respect for our “mother” the earth.

How do we stop this? There doesn’t seem to be much that you and I can do except to look at nature through the eyes of God and to rediscover the wonder of his creation.

For us as the inhabitants of a globe that is saying “enough is enough!” the challenge lies in discovering the sacredness in the ordinary; to respect that which we regard as without soul. Respect for creation is one of the building blocks of creating a better world.

One writer and philosopher put it this way: “Everything has a life and a mystery of its own. To deny this, is to deny the whole order in creation.” Albert Schweitzer, the great philanthropist, scientist and medical doctor who worked in Central Africa and whose respect for all of creation became the basis of his philosophy, wrote: “Respect for all things cultivates a respect for the mystery of life itself. By showing respect for everything on earth, we honour the Creator of the universe.”

Even if you feel helpless in the face of the existential crisis the earth is experiencing, take a moment to consider God’s immense creation and to remind yourself that He put together with the hand of an artist, a scientist and caretaker. And most of all, remind yourself that He appointed each one of us as caretakers of his garden and all that dwell on it.

Prayer: Lord my God, I am praying for all of creation and pray that man will once again recognise creation as your sacred gift to mankind. Forgive when I wilfully participate in the destruction of the environment. Amen