Psalm 24:1
The earth is the Lord's and everything in it. The world and all who live in it.
I recently saw Will Smith interviewed on TV with his son. Somehow they began to talk about cleaning up and Will Smith said something I consider VERY wise. He explained how he told his son that Jayden's room really belonged to his father, who was letting Jayden borrow it. So in effect, Jayden had to take care of his room as if it was on loan.
I don't know about you, but I treat my friend's things with much more respect than I treat my own. If I borrow a sweater, it is folded neatly and put in my closet. No pile on a chair for that article of clothing. If I borrow a DVD, it stays in the case, on penalty of death, unlike the family DVDs piled next to the TV in our best impression of Pisa.
The psalmist reminds us that this earth, our family, our very bodies belong to God. They are on loan for a short time. We need to treat them with care. I don't know about you, but if I think of the annoying girl in class as God's precious child, temporarily on loan to the earth, I'll think twice before saying something rude. In the same way, if I consider myself God's pride and joy, I will hesitate to belittle myself and take care to treat my body with respect.
The earth is the Lord's and everything in it. The world and all who live in it.
I recently saw Will Smith interviewed on TV with his son. Somehow they began to talk about cleaning up and Will Smith said something I consider VERY wise. He explained how he told his son that Jayden's room really belonged to his father, who was letting Jayden borrow it. So in effect, Jayden had to take care of his room as if it was on loan.
I don't know about you, but I treat my friend's things with much more respect than I treat my own. If I borrow a sweater, it is folded neatly and put in my closet. No pile on a chair for that article of clothing. If I borrow a DVD, it stays in the case, on penalty of death, unlike the family DVDs piled next to the TV in our best impression of Pisa.
The psalmist reminds us that this earth, our family, our very bodies belong to God. They are on loan for a short time. We need to treat them with care. I don't know about you, but if I think of the annoying girl in class as God's precious child, temporarily on loan to the earth, I'll think twice before saying something rude. In the same way, if I consider myself God's pride and joy, I will hesitate to belittle myself and take care to treat my body with respect.
And so I wonder what this means for me today. If everything is God's, what do I need to change in what I do today? I can think of millions of tiny changes I need to make. When I look in the mirror, I need to see God's child, rather than the dark circles and extra pounds. When I get in the car, I need to consider those on the road with me brothers and sisters in Christ. When I reach for my wallet, I need to ask how spending this money will honor God. When I ask for a resolution to a problem, I need to treat the other person with respect.... The list is endless.
The earth is the Lord's and everything in it. the world and all who live in it.... It's on loan. How will we treat it today?
Heavenly Father,
You have given us a wonderful home to live in. Yet like spoiled children, we forget that it is yours and treat it casually and with disrespect. Help us to remember today, that this is all yours, help us to treat it with love and respect. Thank you for your blessings in this life, help us to treat them as blessings.
Amen
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