Stewardship

I believe in 5-10 years we are going to look back on the fact that we used plastic to cook and store food and drink with horror, much like how we look back on lead, ddt, and asbestos. Petroleum was never intended for food, and it causes problems in our bodies that we are just beginning to quantify.

As we begin the process of removing petroleum from our kitchen, it made me think of some broader stewardship issues. I am very concerned about the recycling trend. I think it is a good firsts step, but I don't think it is the answer for stewarding God's resources. The model we see in God's creation is returning things to the soil when they are finished. Basically composting. The problem we have is that the majority of our refuse is not biodegradable. A lot of it is petroleum based, which is poisonous to plants as well as animals. We spend more energy and create more pollution recycling our refuse than we would if we simply compost it. I am looking forward to new innovation coming which can use algea to create a our consumer products, and have them be biodegradable. I believe forestry is a practice that is good stewardship. Some land is tillable for crops, but others can only produce trees. The problem comes when we use more than is available and we being deforesting old growth. We need a new breed of forestry which is not driven by greed. I pray God will lay that burden on the heart of our young people. Trees are a beautiful thing. As is the entirety of God's creation. Even petroleum is a great thing when we use it properly.

God is evident in his creation, and we are charged to be stewards of God's creation in his stead. It reminds me of the parable of the steward in Matthew 25. We need to not just hold onto God's resources, we need to passionately manage them.