Eternal Perspectives

On the ninth day of the eighth month in the sixth year of George II, a dream came to me, Mike of Texas, of the house of Russell. This, then, was my dream:

A man appeared to me in my dream and his appearance struck fear into my heart: he had the appearance of a Navy SEAL and his countenance was fierce and grim. I fell to my knees, trembling. He lifted me with his strong right arm and said, ‘Do not fear, for I am here to protect you and warn you, and to show you terrible things that have been done against the Lord and His creation.’

“In my dream, he took me to a zoo where animals from all over the world were housed. ‘Look at the zoo,’ he commanded, ‘and tell me what you see.’ I looked and saw that many of the cages and places for animals were empty, while in many others the animals were sick or dying. And I saw the zoo keepers standing far off. I told the man these things and he said,

“‘You have seen well, for this is indeed the state of the zoo,’ he said sadly. ‘The zoo keepers were placed here to protect, nurture, and cause the animals to prosper but instead the wicked zoo keepers have plundered that which is under their care. They have annihilated many animals, neglected others, and selfishly used the animals for unnecessary luxury or entertainment.’

“Then, in my dream, he took me to high mountain where I could see all the plants and trees in the valley below. Again, the man asked me what I saw.

“‘I see a ravaged land,’ I told him. ‘Where there should be deep forests in which animals and people might dwell, I see only stumps of trees and fallen trees left to rot. The earth appears scorched and unable to bear fruit, and the water is discolored because of what man has done. And far off, I see a vast multitude of people praying and worshipping God. Tell me, sir, what does all this mean?’

“The strong man said, ‘What you have seen is God’s creation marred by the abuse and negligence of man. God placed man in His creation as a steward, to care for and protect all life and all aspects of creation. But this man has not done. Instead, man has declared himself lord over the earth and the animals, and has dealt treacherously and selfishly with creation. And the multitude are those for whom Jesus Christ has died, and who praise God but prey upon God’s creation.’

“‘The day will come,’ said the man, ‘when God will take away man’s stewardship of the earth and give it to another, to One who will faithfully tend it as a shepherd cares for a flock under his care. No longer will animals languish and the whole of creation will rejoice and reflect the glory of God, and the evil man has done will be undone, and the evil man will bear the responsibility for his hateful stewardship of God’s creation. This will surely come to pass.’”

Then I awoke and mourned for creation, and confessed my failure to be a good steward of all that God has entrusted to my care. And I thanked God for His forgiveness, but also repented of my selfish and rebellious attitude toward Him and His commands. And He did forgive and I am forgiven, but still the creation suffers and groans.

Related Posts: Al’s Inconvenient Truth at Broken Messenger; Why I Did Not Go to Church Sunday at Blogotional; “A Plea for Green” at It Takes a Church

2 Cor 1:13

Rey says:

08-10-06 at 9:30 am

Sobering indeed. And I dead up reads like Daniel.

Broken Messenger says:

08-10-06 at 4:51 pm

Mike,

Points taken and understood. Well, presented too. Thanks.

Brad

John Schroeder (Blogotional) says:

08-11-06 at 8:58 am

You know Mike, my post was not about whether Christians are supposed to care for the environment. It was about precisely what that means, and whether a discussion of an extremely politicized, scienitifically uncertain issue is appropriate for the PULPIT.

You need to understand, “the sermon” I avoided was a powerpoint presentation, lifted from Al Gore’s website, complete with misrepresentation and falsities.

The WORD of God is too important to be treated that way

I make my living cleaning up the environment – obviously I think that’s important.

Mike says:

08-11-06 at 9:25 am

John:

And that’s why my comment at your post said, “Yes, but . . .” Yes, you are right, but we need to be more aware of our responsibility as Christians. Maybe not you, John, specifically, but the rest of us who unknowingly and irresponsibly harm the environment.

Nothing in this post is aimed at you; in fact, I wrote it before I ever read your post, posting it only later when I had had a chance to proofread it. It’s a discipline I’ve developed: write, reflect (on whether or not to publish), proof, and publish. I especially do that when I feel myself getting emotionally hijacked.

So you can “stand down”: I had no knowledge of your post when I wrote mine. Maybe it was just God’s way of balancing: my post with yours, your post with mine. Or maybe not. But I was trying to balance my post by linking to you and Brad. Nothing sinister going on in my mind, not trying to “steal” your readers.

But, if you think it best, I’ll stop reading, commenting, and linking to you in the future. Just say the word and I’ll comply: it’s not my mission to upset people unintentionally. Just intentionally.

Friend of Aslan says:

08-12-06 at 8:22 am

BRAVO!!!! Well-said and long overdue. I have always loved nature but started understanding years ago that there must be more to the story than mere appreciation. Simply put, the mandate to steward and care for creation (with kindness, respect and MERCY) still stands. I simply do not understand why some Christians don’t comprehend and others actively resist the idea that the “earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.”

Environmentalism IS a highly charged, politically divisive issue, and one that the Church has retreated from, which, in turn, has created a vaccuum that the world has been only too happy to fill with THEIR ideas, some of which may run counter to biblical principles. Why are we not leading the way? Why do the heathen, who know not God, understand that the resources with which this planet has been blessed must be conserved, and the lives of animals spared so that they can continue to reproduce after their kind? I once read on a forum (I chanced upon it while browsing) in which a young man was complaining about some Christians he knew – not about their faith per se, but about that fact that they had a cat that had been nicked by a car. Its leg was broken, and apparently ulcerated, and they allowed this animal to continue to suffer, dragging its injured leg behind it, and refused to have it treated by a vet. And yet they preached the Gospel! The irony was not lost on this young man, who was wondering if he should simply take the cat for medical care himself, since the whole thing had become upsetting to watch – HE understood that to do so would be to extend mercy to the animal, and that it was the right thing to do – why didn’t the Christians understand it? Or care?

One final rant – I am particularly sick of Christians of the rural variety (and there are far too many of them) who use animals as target practice, or feel that wanton killing is an acceptable past time. At a picnic recently with other Christians, we chanced to see a groundhog across the road, peacefully rooting around in the bushes. Out came the rifle. Later a snake had the misfortune to slither across the driveway. Out came the shovel. A mother fox with her babies – let’s shoot them! The best part is that there is an Alliance pastor in this circle of friends who doesn’t comment, doesn’t mind, and seem to share the notion that since these creatures are “just” animals, and we have “dominion”, this means we can do with them as we please. Ugh.

I’m getting off my soapbox now.

08-12-06 at 9:03 am

Thanks, FoA.

Sadly, the target practice or meanness is not limited to rural folks. In high school, I knew guys who used to drive out into the country in search of stray cats just so they could shoot them with their shotguns. They did it for no other reason than the pure rush of killing.

Many of these guys were from upper-middle-class families: they were athletic, smart, good-looking guys, dating cheerleaders and homecoming queens, driving new cars to school. But “having it all” (from my ghetto upbringing) somehow wasn’t enough. They would spend entire evenings cruising for cats.

Even though I wasn’t a Christian back then, I knew something was intrinsically wrong with what they were doing. There’s more to this story . . .

08-12-06 at 7:38 pm

These folks ARE Christians, though, and one would think (or hope) that they would know better. It’s too bad that believers are sometimes indistinguishable from unbelievers. Cruelty has no place in the life of an individual who claims to follow Christ.