
“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded;
and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”
Luke 12:48
Last night we watched the intriguing documentary Dive!: Living off America’s Waste
.
What an eye opener to the amount of food this country wastes.
Do you know that HALF of all food produced in this country,
is thrown away?
Do you know that the amount we throw away could feed the entire country of Haiti (a country that struggles with hunger and malnutrition-especially children) for FIVE years?
Mind boggling.
This movie is about how the grocery stores throw away the food on their shelves quite unnecessarily. If the food is about the expire, or perhaps one egg is cracked in a carton {even though the others are fine}, it ends up in the trash.
Now, this movie is not necessariy about “dumpster diving,” which many people do. It is more about how this food can be picked up and delivered to shelters and those in need.
But most of it is not.
Because the stores don’t want to deal the the “hassle.”
One thing that struck me in the movie, is when the narrator talks about how we, as a society, have become so distanced from our creation, that we don’t respect or care for it anymore.
When a society is so easy to toss waste, and to disregard the amount of money and resources to create that waste in the first placed…it is a problem.
We have become distanced from the caring of the creation, as well as our own neighbors.
A few generations ago, people wasted very little. They understood the value of what they had. They grew their food, labored over it, and would not waste it. They saw the work and care that was put into it.
Nowadays, we don’t see what goes into making it. Everything is manufactured far away and we simply put it on the table.
And food that is grown is a wonder of God’s creation for us. Have we forgotten that?
In Genesis it tells us how God provided for our needs by creating the food!
Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:11-12
Have you ever wondered at the marvel of a plant? From planting the seeds, to seeing it grow…it is a tiny miracle. And in turn, it nourishes us. It is a connection with the Lord Himself, our Creator!
Today everything seems replaceable, and a commodity. So there is no thought in tossing things. We think we can always replace it.
I am thinking long and hard about this movie.
I am having the children watch it for school, and dig deeper into these principles.
After all, if we don’t value our creation or those in it, how are we living out so much of what the Bible says?
Living more simply, means really paying attention to our needs and wants as well as those around us. We can not turn a blind eye to the needs of our world…
We must feed the poor, take care of the orphan and widow…and look out for the needs of others.
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
James 1:27
So I challenge you today, to take small steps. Be more intentional with the provisions you have.
Not even with just food-with all things. Children loose toys, games, pieces, etc. We lose pens {always in my house}, paper, small things…all the time.
Why?
Because it is easily replaceable.
Can you repurpose things before throwing them away?
Can you save scraps for compost?
Can you reuse left overs, even if they aren’t exactly what your family “feels” like having for dinner?-Have it anyway, so we are good stewards of what we have?
Just because we have plenty, doesn’t make it OK to waste.
Do we always do everything in regards to what “makes us happy” or do we look for what makes others happy?
We are not here on this earth for ourselves and our happiness {contrary to what the world tell us.}
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit,
but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Philippians 2:3
So today, please look at your provisions with new eyes…when we are grateful for what we have and don’t toss it away so easily, it causes us to become closer the Creator from whom all blessings flow…