You made them rulers over the works of your hands; You put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.
—Psalm
8:6-8 NIV
The eighth psalm normally evokes visions of
glorious starry skies or sunrises. Images of beautiful wild animals roaming
free. Majestic horses galloping along a shore or an eagle soaring high. Playful
kittens with a ball of yarn or lambs frolicking in the sunshine. These words
and the pictures they inspire remind us that God has placed us humans in a
significant position between all this and His angels, giving us a certain
measure of authority over His other creatures. These words also serve to point
us to God’s majesty displayed in creation, as they should.
I was surprised, though, to see an
entirely different vision in my mind’s eye as I read these words recently.
Instead of beauty, countless piles of garbage filled my periphery from horizon
to horizon at a landfill site. Trash floating in the ocean, killing sea life
and destroying the beauty God created. Smokestacks releasing toxic fumes into
the air we need to breathe. When these visions are superimposed over the words
of this passage, we’re reminded of how woefully we’ve taken care of what God
entrusted to us. No other creature in the entire kingdom could or would do what
mankind has so carelessly managed to accomplish. The stark contrast helped me
see anew our incredible need for a savior, both personally and collectively.
Questions for Reflection: Am I doing all I can to reduce the amount of garbage I produce? Do I take my God-given responsibility of caring for the earth seriously?
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