TAKING CARE OF THE GIFT OF THE CREATION

The injunction of Yahweh, the creator of the heavens and the earth in Genesis 1:28 that man should subdue (Or manage); replenish (Or increase) the earth and have Dominion (or authority over, that is to have management responsibilities) over all living creatures, makes it unequivocally clear that the creation was not created to be wrecked and ruined by us, but rather to be nurtured like the blessed treasure that it is. God in his infinite wisdom and mercy has put in place for us his children a perfect life support system in the form of an enormously intricate web of inter related apparatus known as the eco system. Every living creature in whom God has bestowed the breath of life, particularly man, is entirely dependent on the efficient functioning of this system for his survival. The simplest and most obvious example being the precipitation processes. Trees which grow in hot inland areas greatly encourage the process of precipitation. When these trees are felled on a large scale, rain sops falling and deserts occur. People must relocate or die! Archaeological evidence and ancient rock drawings tell us that most of the planets deserts were once populated woodlands, until man exercised irresponsible and unintelligent dominion over those areas.

Over and over again the pattern repeats itself. God creates a balanced life sustaining system, based on diversity of flora, fauna and geological formations; man exercises an irresponsible and foolish mode of dominion, the system starts to break down; certain species become extinct and drop out of the web, putting pressure on other species that are dependant on them, exacerbating the destructive cycle. Man, the great gardener of the earth, wreaks havoc on the creation and ironically as intricate life support systems start to deteriorate, becomes the ultimate loser. There are more eco refugees in the world than there are political. Surely this must be a very far cry from the loving, nurturing, management that the almighty creator instructed for we, his flagship creation.

We have just celebrated world environment day, with the theme of fighting desert encroachment. So this is a good time to reflect on how we can, for ours and our children’s sake, become more caring towards the creation, or nature. There are so many things we can do, the planting season is here, those of us fortunate enough to have access to garden space could plant a few trees. We could think twice before we just carelessly discard litter into the streets and gutters. We could join one of the environmental NGOs like the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (01 4718593) and find out more. But most of all we could just thank God and give him praise for caring for us so much by giving us such a beautiful living planet and ask him to give us the wisdom to be effectual managers of his glorious creation.

Desmond Majekodunmi
desmajek@yahoo.com