World Environment Day

 Today is World Environment Day. It is celebrated every year and encourages awareness and efforts to protect our environment. This year the day focuses on ending plastic pollution. It emphasizes the drive "to refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle and rethink using plastics.

I can think of many ways I can aid in this major push: I can ask for paper sacks at the grocery store or get out my reusable grocery bags that I used pre-COVID. I can stop buying water in bottles and use one of the many, many reusable bottles I have. I recycle all the plastics the recycling program accepts. I reuse cool whip containers for leftovers that I send home with the grandchildren, I also can gather litter in the ditches near me to clean up the environment around me. Never ever litter!  I know these are just a few ideas. Please share other ideas you have.

This topic  reminded me of the old hymn, "For the Beauty of the Earth," written in 1864 by Folliott S. Pierpoint and Conrad Kocher, 1838.  "For the beauty of the earth, For the glory of the skies, For the love which from our birth Over and around us lies, Lord of all, to Thee we raise This our hymn of grateful praise. For the beauty of each hour of the day and of the night, Hill and vale, and tree, and flow'r, Sun and moon and stars of light, Lord of all, to Thee we raise This our hymn of grateful praise.  For the joy of ear and eye, For the heart and minds delight, For the mystic harmony Linking sense to sound and sight, Lord of all, to Thee we raise This our hymn of grateful praise.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows," (James 1:17 NIV).

Heavenly Father, Creator of all things, I ask your forgiveness for the sad way we have taken care of the earth. Help me to always be cautious about using plastics. They are so terrible for our environment. I want to be a wise user of the nature around me, so please remind me of ways to care for Your Creation. I want it to stay clean and beautiful as You intended. I pray in Jesus' awesome Name, Amen.