Lost in the World

I remember as a boy back in the '50's when car windows were rolled down to take the place of air conditioning, it was an easy thing to toss trash out the window.  I am not justifying bad actions.  Envioronmental concerns were simply not on the radar as they are today.  Somewhere along the way trash started being collected in the car instead of being tossed out of the window.  However, to look at the roadside today is to see that it still remains a problem for many folks who make their way from wherever they are to where they are going.    

A recent stop at a beautiful mountain overlook that had been turned into something which resembled a land fill once again took me back to those years.  It is a shame we have such trouble learning.  The Creation bears the imprint of the hands of God.  It is as holy, and perhaps even more so, than the churches adorned with statues, icons, crosses, candles and dedicated to God by our prayers.  Of course, too many people have lost their connection with the Creation and, therefore, have also lost a vital means of being connected with who they are in the divine scheme of things as well as losing sight of the holy being all around them.  

Environmentalists preach about the way the world is being trashed by the human lifestyle, but it really seems to make little difference.  A dose of reality tells us caring for the creation is not just a scientific issue, but a spiritual one.  When we trash the world, we trash God.  We show disrespect for the good He has made.  We ignore the fact that He expects us to be partners in the caretaking part of the Creation.  The fact that we do not view care for the Creation as a spiritual issue is a sign that we have lost our way.