God’s world is incredible: Look after it
I have been talking to a family member recently about down-sizing, and the challenges and griefs that are part of that.
How difficult it is to decide what to take with you and what to let go!
A popular method of tidying and decluttering tells us to keep only the things that “spark joy” within us; but when faced with a lifetime’s worth of items that hold powerful memories, where do we start? And what do we do with the things we can no longer give a home to?
Collections of all sizes that we have spent years amassing, to the precious gifts made by tiny hands — or aged ones- can be hard to let go.
Whenever I want to throw something out, I can hear the echo of my parents (who grew up during the years of war and depression) telling me there is still use to be had from that!
Wearing out the old things first is another legacy of my early years. I have only just started using a pack of tea towels I bought in 1980, kept for ‘best’ until the old ones finally outlived their ability to absorb moisture.
They are still useful though and are perfect to wrap around a loaf fresh out of the oven.
These days, we live in a society of planned obsolescence, where things cost more to repair than to replace, and manufacturers of so many items want us to buy new ones every few years. We are more aware than ever of the damage our throw-away culture is doing to the environment, but the enormous impact on our carbon footprint of some of our recycling efforts creates a challenge of its own.
That is no excuse to sit back and do nothing, however.
We live in an incredible world of beauty and wonder, and are called by God, Creator of all things, to care for it. In doing so, we show our love for God and for one another; and show our hope for the future. ‘ Real change will not come easily, and the effects of the past will last for a long time but may we continue to live in gratitude and hope to protect our world for all of God’s children.