By Melanie Mar Chow

“They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. 

(I Tim. 6:18-19)

As a young Christian, I remember the following lyrics of the song, He’s Everything to Me:.

In the stars His handiwork I see,

On the wind, He speaks with majesty,

Though he ruleth over land and sea, what is that to me?

That question always made me pause to consider creation. The month of March often drives me to the remembrance of my parents. The second week of March, two years and two days apart, are the anniversaries of their departures from earth. Both were educators: my mom was an elementary school teacher/librarian, and my father, at the opposite end of the education spectrum, was an Environmental Engineer who taught graduate students.

My father reinforced the importance of seeing and appreciating the works of God’s creation. Dad’s knowledge and experiences awaited us whenever he said, “get in the car, we are going for a ride.” Growing up in Seattle, we had all parts of nature within a short drive. My father’s occupational specialty was the care and restoration of air and water.  Many drives were to watch the path of water, from rainwater coming down the mountains and from snowpack, that made its way to the ocean. He taught us about dams and the power that comes from water. He also cautioned us about man’s carelessness and the damage pollution like trash and debris cause. We watched salmon travel from the river to the ocean through estuaries.  The Pacific Northwest is known for its tasty salmon, but also the largest US estuary, Puget Sound. An estuary is a partially enclosed body of water where river water is joined with sea water. Two types of water join together, providing fertile nutrients for all kinds of aquatic life. Two biblical examples of estuaries are one near where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers join and drain into the Persian Gulf. The second is where the Nile Delta empties into the Mediterranean.    

I love how Psalm 65:5-13 invites us to know how to be caregivers alongside Him. During the pandemic, I found the need to get out of my house but wanted to find places to be alone. In trying to find places to be alone, often God extends an invitation to nature. I made time to go and experience the powerful mountains. My friend rises daily to watch each day’s sunrise. Another friend made a point to capture precious Hawaiian sunsets on a recent spring break trip.

These examples are only some of the examples of being a good steward. I admit to the error of limiting God because I equated stewardship to only handling finances. Stewardship is so much more. It includes our responsibility to demonstrate our daily obedience to God to care for all in our control and reach.

I close with three thoughts to be a better steward involved with creation care:

1. Take time to read Psalm 68:5-13.
2. Go outside and sit in a quiet place. Use your five senses – listen, look, smell, touch, taste. I guarantee you will experience something new.
3. Consider what you are to do and be about in your surroundings to make a difference. 

Doing this exercise will change your habits. One friend found how relaxing it was to sit in her backyard and now invites friends over to eat dinner. Another friend saw a care center nearby his home and started volunteering to distribute food to those in need. 

I cannot see recyclables left to go into the trash. I have been recycling for money for almost three years and have raised on average $25 monthly to increase missions support.

God calls all His people to partner with others toward that task. Each of us has a role in managing what belongs to God, yielding to His guidance for the best ways to be that steward. Individually and corporately we can make a difference if we are active in creation care. 

Where will you begin? Check out Church Programs and Christian organizations. I read recently in a World Vision support letter the following:

“We are to care for, protect and restore the environment. We seek to challenge and change activities, which by design or unintentionally, harm the earth. To this end, we must ensure that our advocacy, relief and development activities are ecologically sound for the benefit of children now and in the days ahead.”

As you venture out, who knows how God will use you to further the care of His creation for the next generation.

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Psalm 65: 5-13

You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds, God our Savior,
the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas,
⁶ who formed the mountains by your power, having armed yourself with strength,
⁷ who stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the turmoil of the nations.
⁸ The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;

where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.

⁹ You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly.
The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it.^[d]
10 You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops.
¹¹ You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance.
¹² The grasslands of the wilderness overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness.
¹³ The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain;
    they shout for joy and sing.

Rev. Melanie Mar Chow serves God through Asian American Christian Fellowship, the campus ministry division of the Japanese Evangelical Missionary Society (JEMS). She has been an ordained American Baptist minister since 2004. A Pacific Northwest native, she currently lives with her husband and daughter in Southern California.