The Responsibility of Enlightenment

Ok, so I've been enlightened recently in respect to environmental conservation. Since I was very small, I've loved animals and the nature they live in. Whether it be dinosaurs (obviously a little too late for conversationist efforts in respect to these fossilific monsters), big cats, whales, elephants, wolves or walruses, I've always been fascinated. My parents can attest to the fact that I watched the original shark week when I was like eight and walking with the dinosaurs a few years later. I remember getting shushed by an elementary school teacher in the hall because I was trying to tell her what I had learned about elephants the night before on the Discovery Channel. And I remember the day when I saw the first commercial for the launch of Animal Planet (pretty sure I got an odd look by my mom when I tried to tell her how excited I was).



All this to say that I'm a poser. I'm all talk. I'm all watch. I'm no do. I've never done anything to curb my environmental footprint. But as of late, I've been heavily convicted of the affliction that I and my peers protrude on the environment. We are especially guilty in America. Some estimates proclaim that if the rest of the world consumed as much as the United States, we'd need three planets to support us. Even if that estimate is off by half, then we would still run out of the planet that we have. The only planet that we have.

So, what to do? Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. It's somewhat of a cliche, but the three r's remain steadfast in their truth and usability. We must reduce the amount we consume; we must reuse as much as we can; we must recycle as much throw-away stuff as we can. Taking these three r's into serious consideration can curb much of the harm that we're doing to nature. I want to reemphasize that reducing is especially important at home in America where we consume mindboggling amounts. Something that we in the West have lost sight of is just what my title suggests, enlightenment incurs a hightened responsibility. I believe this to be especially true of Christians because we have the highest of all enlightenment-- God's revelation.

Much Grace, Peace, and Love.

Bigger Fish to Fry

I haven't blogged in over two months. Oddly enough, I didn't get any calls or mail demanding that I continue...

I'm running cross country again. I once vowed never to run (competitively) on a team again. I lost that mindset over the spring and desperately wanted to try my hand at it again. I now remember why I made that vow three years ago. I'm more prone to injury than a turkey on Thanksgiving. The ups and downs, mostly the downs, have rendered me frustrated and burnt out once again. In terms of running I was in the best shape, both mentally and physically, I've been in since Junior year of high school just a short month ago when I ran in our first meet. Currently, however, I'm in no better shape than I was in July when I started training for this season. I've lost most of my will and motivation, and there's still a month left in the season. Hopefully I can recover and salvage what is left. I can't help but recognize though that there is some, probably strong, correlation between my constantly getting hurt and the need for God to steer me in a direction other than competitive running. After all, it does bring an awful lot of pride into my life. And other sinful habits as well I'm sure.

On the bright side, I love my classes, my job, my friends and my God. So, while I do get upset about the running situation, it's only short-lived. I have much bigger fish to fry. Like the broken state of the environment. And the broken state of the Church. And the broken state of Humanity. And the calling I have to bring God's love to every situation. And through that love, grace and restoration and peace and joy.
So to you: much love, grace, restoration, peace and joy.