This is my Father’s world: The birds their carols raise, the morning light, the lily white, declare their Maker’s praise. 

God put people in a unique position. We are like everything else he made. We have the same basic needs other living things have. We are also like him. When God made us rational beings, he delegated some of his power to us. We can act in ways no other creature can. We can alter, even destroy, the planet we live on. It’s not as durable as we think it is. The universe is infinite. Our planet isn’t.

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it” (Psalm 24:1). This is our Father’s world, and we need to take better care of it. Christians haven’t said much about the environment. Other than St. Francis, few big names reflected on nature. Maybe it’s because we think it’s out of our hands. We don’t need to worry about having a livable planet. That’s God’s problem. But we need to be responsible stewards. I don’t hug trees, but I’ve seen maps plotting where cancers occur more frequently and I wonder why. We exploit things we don’t need to exploit because we can make money. We leave open wounds on the landscape and ignore toxins seeping into our drinking water. Let’s take a deep breath of fresh air while we still can and remember:

This is my Father’s world: He shines in all that’s fair; In the rustling grass I hear him pass, he speaks to me everywhere.—Maltbie D. Babcock