Just Say No

Raise your hand if you dislike plastic straws. On the Outer Banks, we are raising awareness about the incredible damage that plastic does to our oceans, our ocean wildlife, and our earth in general. One picture of a beached whale whose stomach was filled with plastic was enough to change me. This is something that is starting to take ahold of our culture, slowly but surely. Paper straws are becoming the norm in places like Disney World, (can you imagine the number of straws they use in a day?) and it is not uncommon now to be served a drink without a straw. Thank the Lord, we are waking up.

Taking care of our earth is a charge we received at the very beginning of time:

Genesis 1 (NIV)

27 So God created mankind in his own image,

in the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them.

28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.

And it was so. We are charged with caring for God’s glorious creation: the fish, birds, every living creature, every seed-bearing plant, tree, and even the beasts of the earth.

That is quite a lot of responsibility.

The simple question today is this: what can you do to intentionally change how you live? Can you reduce your use of plastic? Sign up for recycling? Choose paper bags over plastic ones? Refuse a plastic straw in a restaurant? Learn more about how to reduce your carbon footprint?

If we take this scripture seriously, we realize that God trusting us to care for everything he gave us. This becomes not a political or social issue, but a SPIRITUAL one.

So ask yourself today, what one thing can you do?

We can begin by refusing the plastic straw. Next time a server offers you one, just say, “No thanks. I’m saving the whales.” Let it build from there. The planet will thank you, and you honor God with your choices. And it’s biblical!