Let’s Show God a Little More Appreciation

Today’s newspaper ran an article about a new study that says Earth has pushed past seven of eight safety limits and is “really quite sick right now.” All this has happened in my lifetime of seven decades. But Earth and the rest of the universe took 13.8 billion years to create. I hope God doesn’t feel he wasted his time creating Planet Earth with its millions of species and still undiscovered wonders. It makes me think of opening a Christmas present that gets broken on the same day or wolfing down a fine cooked meal in three minutes. Couldn’t we show God a little more appreciation? And I don’t mean stopping to smell the flowers. We need to beg forgiveness of the Creator of the Universe—and beg forgiveness of coral reefs and ozone layer and whales and butterflies and every species that has or is becoming extinct. Above all, we need to realize that we’re all in this together—nothing higher or lower, more or less—in creation. The suffering and extinction of insects, flowers, trees, and every created being to which I have contributed by my waste or neglect is contributing to my own suffering and extinction. Everything is in this together on Planet Earth, our common home. Everything contains God’s creative love. Let’s show a little more appreciation.