“God blessed them {That means US, His human creations} and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground. I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground – everything that has the breath of life in it – I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.” Genesis 1:28‭-‬30 (http://bible.com/111/gen.1.28-30.NIV)

“When they had all had enough to eat, He said to His disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” ” John 6:12 (http://bible.com/111/jhn.6.12.NIV)

I’ve had this conversation so many times. As Americans, we are so wasteful that at times I am ashamed to be called one. When I had the opportunities to go to Europe, I was able to see firsthand how restrictive their laws are regarding waste. The result is that people are much more aware of their habits. Rather than throwing everything into one trash receptacle, it was sorted by what could be recycled, what could be composted, and what could be fed to the chickens. My grandma taught me that we should respect the earth, and her garden and root cellar were a wonderful place for a kid. I realize that really, very few Americans get to experience the beauty of rich earth and growing things, and it is such a shame. We grow up watching television and glued to social media, with ads shouting at us that we “NEED” all of these things…. shipped in from other countries, wasting resources. Yes, this is my opinion. We are horribly wasteful. When I moved into my house, the city provided me with two – TWO – large waste bins, and one small recycling bin. ONE recycling bin. Isn’t that a little backward?

Think about what you trash that could be recycled. Paper. Actually, shredded paper is an excellent mulch… but we would rather trash it and create more waste to dispose of instead of sending it to be recycled. Plastic! Oh, I could rant for hours on plastic, but I won’t. It is one item that is easily reused and recycled…. but it’s EASIER to just throw it away. I’ve been told (quite strongly, actually) that it is the JOB of the trash men to sort out the trash. Maybe that was true years ago, but not any longer. I remember going to the dump and seeing where the appliances and other usable items were put out where you could retrieve them, if you were so inclined. Watching the trucks lined up at the modern dumps – excuse me, “landfills ” – you can see how impossible that would be now.

Do you know that you can take in your aluminum and get paid for it? Also other metals?

Then we have glass. I love glass containers. They are non-reactive, so anything can be stored in glass safely. I’d love to see the deposit put back on glass bottles so that we could exchange them. We have a new shop here that sells spices, and she’ll use your glass bottles to put them in for you. Pretty cool, because it saves us both money, and eliminates waste.

Finally, let me touch on water. Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink… how dependent we are on water! Without water, there is no life, yet we squander it daily as if it is limitless. There is another water that we desperately need, too, even more than we need the water that flows from our taps. I’m talking about the Living Water of Jesus Christ. Do you know that water?

“In GOD, Whose Word I praise— in GOD I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” Psalm 56:4 (https://psalm.bible/psalm-56-4)

We can only reach this fearlessness the psalmist talks about by accepting Jesus’ Living Water. To do that; to never be thirsty again, we have to believe and receive the gift Jesus is offering. Just like the woman at the well, we have to be willing to take it.

Jesus told her, “If you knew the Gift of GOD and Who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him and He would have given you Living Water….. Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the Water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the Water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to ETERNAL Life.” John 4:10‭, ‬13‭-‬14 (http://bible.com/111/jhn.4.10-14.NIV)

Rant over.