Editorial April 17, 1995 Issue

Caring for the earth

Mark Swinney

If you're like me, you not only love living creatures, you also love the earth itself. Saturday, April 22, is a special day if you are a planet lover— it's Earth Day.

My love for our planet doesn't stem from political grounds; it stems from my love for just plain grounds—the ground we grow food on, camping grounds, the ground washed by the sea in the state where I live. I'm also grateful for the ground on which the trees grew that became a part of my house, for the ground that produced the ore that was refined into the structural steel for the buildings in my city, and for the ground that held the oil that made it possible for me to drive to the train station today. The latter may sound odd because, along with such benefits, strip-mining scars and oil spills are among the destructive things that mar our beautiful world. Yet, managing natural resources doesn't have to mean ruinous exploitation.

From a satellite's-eye view, our world looks very inviting. Along a trail I was hiking last summer, the view was more than inviting, it was inspiring. It made me wonder whether it is possible to rescue nature from the things that would despoil it, and restore earth's loveliness around the globe. Yes, it is—and many today are discovering that through discerning the spiritual reality of God's creation we begin to see the most effective remedy— the remedy that prayer provides.

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In the deep Soul
April 17, 1995
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