SAMANTHA ELLEY says, thanks to God, there remains hope in the fight against climate change…
Northern Rivers, New South Wales, Australia
PICTURE: Aaron Burden/Unsplash
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” – II Chronicles 7:14 (KJB)
I am doing my bit to combat climate change.
And no, I don’t necessarily mean by recycling, although I do that as I like the idea of not wasting. And I don’t mean by using solar panels and solar water heating, although I do that too, as I love the idea of using energy from the sun.
“I am combatting climate change by investing in my relationship with God.”
No, I am combatting climate change by investing in my relationship with God.
When we bought our first house, one thing I noticed was the wallpaper coming off the walls in both the bathroom and the laundry. Somewhere along the way, the glue that had been holding the paper to the walls had dissolved and was no longer doing what it was meant to do. It looked tacky and horrible. Hubby and I ended up scraping it all off and painting both rooms.
We have been on the front line of a changing climate when the east coast of Australia was hit with a record-breaking flood last year, losing our house and cars. Before that, we watched as a friend’s house was burnt down in devastating bushfires in the 2019/2020 summer.
When God created the Earth and all that’s in it, I believe it included the glue that held us to our relationship with Him. As long as we are in a good relationship and the glue is strong, creation stays on the right trajectory. I can only imagine what a paradise the Garden of Eden must have been like.
Fast forward through time from creation to today and the glue is dissolving. The creation wallpaper is hanging precariously. We no longer call on God or give Him the credit where it is due. We have become a proud people, believing we have no need for a God or saviour. The Bible calls it sin and it is what is dissolving the glue in our relationship with our Creator.
But there is always hope. God has made it clear He wants to be in our lives, even sending His son to pay the price for us walking away. He is ready for the glue to reappear, to bring His people close to Him and to heal our land.
