Recently, the media has swarmed about stirring up the fear of climate change or global warming, conservatives against liberals and liberals against conservatives. If you take a minute to read the Scripture, we find that man will not destroy this planet, it is the Lord that has that control. Although, as the following states, it is man's transgression that has cursed this land:

 "Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word. The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left." - Isaiah 24:1-6.

  We have drastically impacted our world. The earth has definitely been defiled by its inhabitants. Each one of us has made and makes an impact on our environment every day. The purchases we make, the things we create, the clutter we collect and the trash we accumulate leave an impact. The things we release into the air and water or the things we put in the soil all leave a footprint. Just as the verse above states we are all guilty, from the clergy to the banker. 

 However, it does not have to continue like that. Just as we have had a negative effect, we can have a positive effect on our surroundings. The recent debate over the use of plastic straws has been laughable. Please understand, I love sea turtles as much as the next guy. But, what about the plastic forks, spoons, knives and sporks? And, I could continue with plates, balloons, tablecloths, bags, party favors, cups, bottles... Straws are just the tip of the iceberg. The debate should be 1) HOW we dispose of these items, and, 2)  WHY are we not recycling that material? We have heard "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle" for years and we all know the effect these items have on our wildlife. Why do we continue to trash our world? Let us begin to make good choices, let us clean up after ourselves, let us teach others by our own example. We can make a positive impact with a little bit of effort.

 God's creation has a way of healing itself, too. He resets global balance with floods, fires, storms, heat, cold, and, even, time. For example, I grew up in rural middle Tennessee. And, I remember older folk that lived in our area. They would marry, work the land, raise a family and, eventually, pass away and be buried, sometimes on the land on which they had labored for so long. But, if the land was not tended afterwards, if the fields were not plowed, if the trees were not trimmed or lawns manicured, nature would soon reclaim that habitation. The house and barns would eventually break down and surrender to the weather and vegetation. As seasons would come and go, the tractors would rust in the fields, rubber tires would dry rot, breaking down little by little. Within a few years, you would never believe that the land was ever touched, much less worked, by human hands for so many years. This evidence is seen in the recent discovery of Mayan temples and villages reclaimed by the South American jungles.

 We must acknowledge God's control and respect the laws of nature, being good stewards of the gift He has given to us. Now, get out there and hug a tree!!