Excuse me, I need the soapbox.

Today is Earth Day.  I cringe inside. The news is constantly telling us about how WE are destroying the earth and if WE don't change then the world will have a horrible end.  

Here's my not so humble take on the subject.

1. The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it. Psalm 24:1
   
   
2. Since God made the world, He (not people) will decide how and when it's destroyed. How arrogant are we to think that mere humans can destroy what The Almighty spoke into existence?
   
   
3. The world is cursed because of sin. Romans 8:22   Because of the sin , we humans make big messes of all our relationships, including our relationship to God's creation.
   
   
4. The Second Law of Thermodynamics states: All processes go from order to disorder.   This means that the state of planet Earth is also tending toward disorder.  Can't argue with physics.
   
   
5. God gave man dominion over the earth. Genesis 1:26-27 As Christians, we are commanded to be good stewards of all of God's gifts, including the world's animals, plants, water, fossil fuels, etc. just as we are commanded to be good stewards of our time and money.
   
   
6. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-discipline (sound mind) 2 Timothy 1:7.  It makes me so mad to see little children being made fearful of global warming and begging grown-ups to "do something or I may not grow up."  God gave us brains to think. We must weigh our decisions carefully by considering the motive behind and the consequences of changes we are asked to make.
   
   
7. There are no totally good environmental decisions. For example, there is a push for everyone to use compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL's). They are more expensive up front, but they last longer and use less electricity. The environmental downside--they are hazardous waste because they contain mercury vapor and cannot be put in household trash. I will have to store used CFL's until there is a hazardous waste day at the county landfill and then drive 20 miles to take them.  Also, most CFL's are made in communist China, while incandescent light bulb are made in the USA.  See, changing a light bulb isn't simple. Even growing organic crops (which I totally support) has its share of problems, and the ethanol issue is much more complex.

OK, so where does that leave my family on Earth Day. We do without what we can. We don't waste food, electricity, or water. We have some compact fluorescent light bulbs. We recycle what our recycling center takes. We write on the backs of envelopes and junk mail. What little garden we have is organic. We buy used when possible. We don't eat a lot of processed foods. We use grocery bags for trash bags. We drive as little as possible, though more than we would like. We use mostly homemade, natural cleaners.  That being said, I used disposable diapers on my children and I refuse to feel guilty about it.  Our "green" habits generally correlate to "cheap" habits.

I guess my point is that there is no"magic bullet" that will rid the world of pollution or solve our energy problems.  I can only attempt use what God has given me wisely and encourage others to do the same.   Worrying about it only wastes my time and energy.