As a mom trying to teach my children what's most important in life, I felt I had to climb on my soapbox this week. (An environmentally safe, no-phosphorous soap, of course.)
It's impossible to turn on the news, open a paper or even pull up your homepage these days without being slapped in the face with dire warnings about global warming. Now, not being a scientist, yet not trusting many scientists, I can't say whether global warming actually exists or whether the world is just experiencing long-term weather patterns which have no doubt been occurring since the flood. What I can say is that if global warming is happening, we can't stop it. Sure, we can recycle and conserve energy and drive funky little cars, but we can't reverse damage that has been done to the environment and we aren't in control anyway.
"Do you know how God controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash?" - Job 37:15
God created the earth, He has allowed us to use it and have the freedom to make our own choices, and He will destroy it when He decides it is time.
"But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare." - 2 Peter 3:10
Sadly, I haven't heard any mention of God and his plan from those crying over global warming. I believe God does intend for us to take care of what He has given us, but more importantly, He commands us to share His love and salvation.
"Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming." - 2 Peter 3:11,12
When my children ask if the early spring is from global warming or whether we need to change all the light bulbs in our house to save the planet, the only answer I can give is that God controls the weather and if we ask, He will provide the wisdom for us to make good choices.
"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." - James 1:5
God all but destroyed the earth once because of the evil He saw in man.
"The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the Lord said, 'I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth - men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air - for I am grieved that I have made them." - Genesis 6:5-7
I believe all the evil in the world today must exceed that of Noah's day, yet God waits. "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." - 2 Peter 3:9
His concern was and is for the people He loves - the rainforests and oceans come in a distant second, I fear. My concern is that my children understand that saving people is a higher priority than saving the planet. I believe that by living in God's promise and seeking His will and wisdom, I will help my family make the right ecological choices. But what do my children or any of us have if we save the whole planet, yet lose our souls?
Global warming, regardless of how big a threat it is perceived, is only one in a long line of issues to dominate the front pages of our consciences so we can avoid dealing with a more inconvenient truth: "For God so loved the world that He gave his only Son, that whoever believed in him would not perish, but have eternal life." - John 3:16