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Green Like God

By Jonathan Merritt, a faith and culture writer whose work has been published in many leading magazines including Relevant and Christian Single.

Emma is a troubled 23-year-old recent college graduate with a history of hurts and a stockpile of secrets. As a child, Emma lived with a physically abusive, drug-addicted father. She was sexually abused by adults outside the family on several occasions, and even though others in the family became aware of the destruction, they did nothing to help her.

When she first shared her story with me, I was flooded with emotions. I can’t imagine how she can face her family without falling apart. How could a parent do those things? How could others allow those things to go on? A child is a gift from God. And He who gives parents the remarkable responsibility of protecting their child holds them accountable for how well they do so. I found myself wishing God’s worst wrath on Emma’s father.

But I also got to thinking…how many of us shirk our responsibility to take care of what God gives us? How many of us allow others around us to damage the things God has entrusted to us without even saying a word? I am not talking about children, but our planet.

Today, “going green” is trendy and fun. It makes us feel hip to buy free trade coffee and install a cool, curly compact fluorescent bulb in our favorite living room lamp. But God was green long before we were—after all, He was the first one to call the creation “good”—and He wasted no time in sharing His vision for a healthy planet with us.

In Genesis 2:15 God gave humans the job of “working” and “taking care of” the Earth. God never gave us a deed to the Earth; He simply lets us manage and protect it. That means the way we connect with His creation should always be healthy and mutually beneficial. And when it is being damaged, it is our responsibility to protect it.

Unfortunately, most Americans do a terrible job of caring for the creation. The average American, for example, produces 4.5 lbs. of garbage per day! And most of the shampoo bottles, paper towels, toothpaste tubes and plastic plates we chunk end up in landfills! If the rest of the world consumed resources and produced waste like us, it is estimated that we would need two and a half planet Earths to sustain life.

The reality is, God’s creation isn’t in great shape right now. What can you do in your home, church or community to bring healing? Every day we buy things that nobody needs. Instead of blowing money at the mall on a Friday, is there some way you could donate your time to a small restoration project?

Recently, I took a quiet time of reflection to evaluate my life. When I stepped outside, I noticed several small changes that could make a huge impact. I didn’t make these changes to look trendy or eco-savvy. I did them because, as a follower of Christ, my life should be an expression of the Creator - God. I have no other choice, but to be green like God.

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