“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” – Psalm 24:1
I love music. And since I’ve always been a musical person, I know I can learn something really easily if I turn it into a song. Because of this, I try to teach my children Bible verses by making up melodies. Last year, one of Big Brother’s Bible verses was Psalm 24:1, so I promptly made up a little tune.
For some reason, I’ve been singing “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it” a lot over the past week. Maybe it’s because Earth Day is coming up. Or maybe it’s because my family has been outside a lot lately working on our garden.
I’m glad I’ve been able to contemplate the seemingly simple verse. The earth IS the Lord’s. Everything in the earth. Isn’t that reason enough to take care of things – like our environment, or our bodies?
On Facebook and Twitter, I recently shared a 60 Minutes video about the toxicity of sugar. Presented with a lot of informative and somewhat discouraging research, I know it’s important that I start cutting sugar out of my family’s diet. But I love sugar. And my children and husband love sugar. Really, since I’ve cultivated my baking skills over the past 20 years, I’m really, really bummed I shouldn’t make my delicious desserts at the rate that I have been.
But the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. That includes my body, my husband’s body, and our beautiful babies’ growing bodies. And if sugar is going to really mess us up, much like drugs and alcohol, then I need to drastically limit our consumption.
Instead of drooling over the next dessert I shouldn’t attempt, I’ve been digging in my garden. We’ve got a big square chunk of land that needs weeded and tilled – then let the planting begin! Because of our climate, we can start planting some seeds now, but the majority of plants need to wait another month. In the meantime, Prince Charming and I are planning our plants and plotting our garden. It’s been a lot of fun.
What’s been even more fun is working in the dirt with our children. We’re all out in the garden together, four dirty, dirty people pulling weeds and picking rocks. Our neighbor commented that we’re starting our children early – of course we are! We love having Big Brother and Little Sister figure out life by doing things by our side. I am thrilled that they’ll grow up learning where food comes from, along with how to plant and water seeds, watch them grow into plants, then harvest the vegetables. And I can’t wait to start eating and preserving these veggies right along with the rest of my family.
When I sit in the dirt of my garden and mull all of this over, I thank God for the opportunity my family finally has to garden. I pray for wisdom and discernment so we can be good stewards of his earth and our bodies. And I notice the joy that fills my heart as I soak in the truth that the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.
Happy Earth Day … every day.
Latest posts by Hilary Kimes Bernstein (see all)
- The Day I Realized Healthy Choices Don’t Guarantee Health - July 21, 2015
- Avoid Synthetic Bug Sprays with All-Natural Repellents - July 16, 2015
- The Day I Learned I Could Cook Real Food - July 13, 2015
Leave a Reply